Welcome to the Overlook
by The Samurai Prince
Summary: Danny's parents have a job to get rid of some ghosts in a supposed haunted hotel, making him, his family, and friends stay for a week during Spring Break. What they don't know is that things aren't what they appear... /Danny Phantom & The Shining\ (Back to a T rating, but it's a high one for description of gore, semi nudity, and disturbing images.)
1. An Invitation

**Hey everybody! I'm starting fresh again on this story, so forgive me for deleting the old chapters, but I know now that I have to actually PLAN it first than going head first on writing it. Anyways, just so you can see how unprepared I was, here's the old note I wrote. :P**

* * *

Hello everybody! :D This will be my first Danny Phantom fic, and will also be my first horror fic at well!

For this fanfic, I decided to take a whack at making a horror fic involving Danny Phantom, and with a fusion of Stephen King's famous horror novel, 'The Shining'. This will also be my first chaptered story, so I want to see how many chapters I can make on this one! And as for the story, like I said, it will be a fusion, meaning 'The Shining' will include its elements in the DP universe. I altered a little bit of the plot in the novel(well, more like the movie, which really I saw first(the three-part TV movie Shining first, and the old Shining movie second(which, by the way, was WAY CREEPIER.).).), and made it work in this story. Tell me what all of you think about this direction I'm taking here. :)

Now, with that done, on with the show! :D

* * *

**See how inexperienced I was back then? D: This time, I'll hopefully manage to make this fic better. So NOW, without further ado, enjoy. :)**

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Danny Phantom, nor do I own some of the plot elements of Stephen King's 'The Shining'. I'm just using my imagination to make this FAN MADE story of mine work. Thank you and enjoy. :P

* * *

**oO –**_Welcome, Daniel, to our humble abode._- **Oo **

**Welcome to the Overlook**

**By TPOC**

* * *

"So what do ya think, kids?" said Jack Fenton, excitedly.

Danny and Jazz blinked. After taking quick glances at each in disbelief, Danny spoke.

"So…what you guys are offering me and Jazz here, is that you want us to spend our entire week of spring break vacation…at a 'haunted' hotel…down at Colorado?" Danny clarified.

The Fenton family were all gathered around at the den area. Jack and Maddie Fenton, both of them ghost hunters and exterminators extraordinaire, were explaining to their son Danny, age 14, and daughter Jazz, age 16, that they got a call from a manager of a hotel that was in the northern central part of Colorado, located in the Rockies. The manger said that he and the rest of the staff wanted them to come over and get rid of some of the ghosts that were haunting the place. The manager also wanted them to stay at the hotel for a week, saying that it was a very wondrous and grand hotel that has great amenities.

"Absolutely! Won't that be fun!" Jack said, beaming.

Jazz spoke up then. "To answer both Danny and my question…NO DAD. That does not sound like 'fun'." She finished with the finger quotation marks on 'fun'.

Jack face turned into a sad frown. "What? Really? But I thought you kids would love going to very nice hotel."

"Um, filled with _ghosts_?" Jazz proclaimed.

Danny then spoke up and said. "Yeah, I mean, no offense dad, but…can't we just have a normal vacation that doesn't involve the supernatural?"

Jack had a hurt look on his face. "My goodness, I can't believe what I'm hearing! I mean, I thought we as a family who hunts ghosts together, should stay together. What in the world have I done wro-"

"Honey, I'll take care of this, okay? Why don't you get some of those freshly baked cookies that I made in the kitchen?" Maddie said with a reassuring smile, interrupting her husband's soon to be 'families who hunt ghosts together should stay together' rant. Jack looked somewhat uneasy but trusted his wife with a smile. He was also looking forward on the thought of eating some fresh chocolate chip cookies. He got up and walked to the kitchen area.

Maddie spoke in a quiet tone. "Now, kids, I know it does get rather…_old_ going to haunted places for vacation, but that doesn't mean we won't let you be involved in our work."

"But we'll still going someplace _haunted_, mom." Jazz said, trying to make it even more clearer for her. Danny decided to let Jazz and his Mom settle this conversation.

"Now Jazz, if you and Danny are worried about the aggressiveness of these ghosts, don't worry. From the way the manager was describing the haunting, they sound just like small fry compared to the ghost we've encountered here in Amity Park. So, either way, if we get our job done real quickly, we can enjoy the rest of our vacation in the hotel! They're actually closing the hotel for all guests for us so they can let me and Jack concentrate on finding the ghosts. And if these ghosts will be as easy as they are described, you kids won't have to worry!" Maddie said with a happy smile.

Jazz blinked and put a hand on her chin. "Well…I guess that sounds comforting." Jazz then looked at her brother. "What do you think, Danny? Do you feel like going to another haunted place for vacation?

Danny turned his head to Jazz and has a look on her face that says she wants to hear what he has to say. Danny appreciates this partly because she knows his secret. "Um…well…okay, just to make sure again, these ghosts are like, the kind of ordinary ghosts that go 'boo!', right? Not ghosts with powers and weapons? And not even ghosts that, say like, take over your body and stuff? Just pure, mischievous, ordinary ghosts, right? Not harmful whatsoever?" Danny felt like kicking himself for dragging on for asking so many questions, but he had to make sure, just so he can at _least_ have a nice, relaxing spring break without fighting ghosts.

Maddie just giggled at her son's reassurance. "That's what the manager said, sweetie." She said, smiling. She then frowned and furrowed her brows. "Although, his tone was a little stingy when he was explaining what was going on around the place, even while he was explaining the amenities." Maddie shrugged. "Ghosts can probably do that to you."

"Oh…" Danny felt kind of at ease with that answer. He thought about it for a bit. If these really are just your average run of the mill ghosts, then he shouldn't be too worried at all.

After much consideration, he said, "Well…eh, why not?" Danny grinned. "But we will have communicators with us if we see any paranormal activity and ghosts in our rooms, right?"

"Oh, of course, Danny! Although, I'm trying to convince your father not to let you two have any weapons to fight any ghosts in the hotel, and to tell him to just to let you kids be. You know he only does this type of stuff just to grow closer to you two."

"Apparently." Danny said monotonously.

Jazz nodded to that, and then said "Well, if Danny is comfortable with it, then I guess I'm going as well." She said with a simple shrug.

Maddie beamed and squealed quietly as she clasped her hands together in glee. "Oh, that's wonderful! I think you'll like the hotel! I heard it's _really_ nice."

"I'm guessing it is. Um, what's the hotel called again?" Danny said.

"The Overlook Hotel." says Maddie.

"Hmm...it does have a nice sound to it." Jazz thought out loud.

"Well alright then! I'll go tell your father about it. Hopefully he'll feel better after hearing this!" Maddie got up and went to the kitchen, leaving Danny and Jazz alone on the family couch.

Jazz turned to Danny and said to him. "Are you sure you're okay with staying in some haunted hotel, Danny? I mean, you deserve a vacation once in a while, but I don't want you to stress yourself with fighting more ghosts."

"I really appreciate the concern Jazz, but the way Mom was talking about how these ghosts being 'small fry' and all, I'm kind of relieved to go a little. If these ghosts really are just weaker versions of the Box Ghost, then I'm not really going to waste my energy on them and just try to relax while Mom and Dad do their thing. I should be asking you if you're okay with going."

"Hey, look, I'm just checking with you. If you're okay with it, then I'm okay with it. I'm a big girl, Danny, I can take care of myself. And I _know_ you can take good care of yourself, being a superhero and all."

Danny smirked at his sister. "Well, aren't we brave?" joked Danny.

"Well, being with you, Sam and Tucker fighting ghosts, I have to be." Jazz also joked back.

Maddie came back with Jack in the den, in which Jack had a big smile on his face, and was eating the last bite of his cookie. They both sat back down on their long family curved couch, with Jack saying "Well, this is great! After your mom came in and told me everything about you two wanting to go, that was all I needed to hear! Although, I was hoping I would teach you kids about ghost hunting and the basics and-"

"Jack…"

"Okay, okay, sorry. But we will give you kids some communicators if you see any ghastly ghouls around the hotel. But all in all, I'm glad you tykes decided to come!" Jack said with a big smile.

Danny and Jazz smiled at their dad's enthusiasm.

Maddie said, "Now, we get packed on Saturday, and leave very early in the morning. So plan ahead of time on what you need, and bring certain things to entertain yourselves on the drive from there and gather all your clothes for the week."

"Okay."

"Sure thing."

They then all got up and went to do their usual things.

'_Well, hopefully I'll get some R and R at this Overlook Hotel.' _thought Danny as he walked up the stairs.

* * *

(End Chapter 1)

**EDIT:** Just a little fixing and adding some sentences and stuff.

**New note: **Okay, so far so good(hopefully). Tell me what you think about it if this is your first time reading this fic. :)

**TPOC **

**XD**


	2. Two More Invited

Hello again! :D Thanks to catphantom01 for giving me some info on Tucker's parents. Even if it isn't accurate, I'll go with it anyway! :)

And I like to thank pretty in green for being such a sweet gal to review my story! :D

And to you, one reviewer, im-paranormal33, thank you for your review! And as for what you said…you'll just have to wait and see. ;D

On to chapter two! 8D

And I don't need to put another disclaimer, just read the one I put in the first chapter and we're all dandy. :P

* * *

**Yeah, good time, gooood times. But really, thank you guys for reviewing my story. I really appreciate it! :) And yeah, I really don't think I need to put up a disclaimer if I already put one in the first chapter. Anyways, let's get back to the story! :D**

* * *

"You're going to a haunted hotel in Colorado for spring break? Wow, that's…original." said Sam with a raised eyebrow.

It's the afternoon at Casper High, and Danny and his two friends, Tucker Foley, the electronic wiz who always carries his PDA around, and Sam Manson, the goth girl, were hanging out in the nearly empty school halls by their lockers, discussing where they're going for spring break. Danny was the first to be questioned, so he answered, and thus the recent response.

"A haunted hotel? Honestly Danny, no offense, but your parents need to go to Disney World or something." said Tucker.

"Well, that would be fun, but you think that having a ghost hunting business in a town that's _swarming _with ghosts, they would have at least a ton of money by now."

"Which, ironically, you do their work for them, unpaid." Sam muttered quietly to herself with a smirk.

Danny heard what she said however, and turned to her with a frown. "Oh, come on, Sam!" he said in a quiet whisper so no one can hear him. "They're my parents! They can't face ghosts like Skulker, Ember, and Bo-…well, maybe Box Ghost, but still, they can't face them on their own!"

"Oh I know, Danny. But you got to admit, you have to love the irony of it." Sam said with a smirk.

Danny crossed his arms with a more humorous frown on his face.

"Ahem. Moving on, what's this haunted hotel's name?" said Tucker.

Danny had a thoughtful look on his face. "Um, the Overlook Hotel, I think." He gave a shrug. "I heard it's nice, actually." He said rather nonchalantly.

"You sure don't sound annoyed by going to some other place that's haunted." Sam said.

"Yeah, Sam's right. Why so calm? Are they're like hot ghost women in the hotel or something?" Tucker inquired.

"Oh Tucker, honestly!" Sam groaned.

"Hey, just saying. Ghost women can be hot too."

"Tuck, you really need to get out of Amity Park sometimes." Danny suggested. "And no, it's nothing like that." He said turning to Sam. He stopped, wondering why he said whilst turning to Sam. Maybe it's just because she's the girl of trio. But either way, it now made Danny feel awkward. Sam had a different reaction as she blushed a tint pink and pretended to narrow her eyes and look disbelieving at him, which she didn't know why, Danny was SO not the type to fall for a ghost woman…she thinks. She mentally shook that thought out of her head. Despite all the uneasiness and thinking of the matter, Danny continued.

"Uh, the manager at the hotel gave my parents a call about wanting them to get rid of the ghosts that were haunting the place. My mom told me about it, and she sounded like these ghosts were really no threat at all, which means I don't have to basically do anything and let my mom and dad handle the situation. And if they get all of the ghosts quickly enough, we can enjoy our stay for the rest of the week, ghost-free."

Sam and Tucker just stared at Danny, blinking. They then looked at each other to see if they had the same expression, and looked backed at Danny.

Tucker spoke. "Wow, Danny. That…actually sounds like a good deal."

"Yeah…WAY better than my _supposed_ trip to Detroit with my parents. They have to go to some dull meeting about what the next toothpick whirler design should be, which leaves me 'enjoying' the sites around the city." Sam said sardonically.

Tucker then spoke again. "Hey, at least you guys have vacations on your spring break. I get to stay HOME for the week, while my dad, being a mayor, does some unfinished political meetings along with my mom's law firm as well. Which leaves ME and my PDA, with NOTHING TO DO." Tucker finished with a scowl.

Danny, looking at his friends, felt pretty sorry for them on their unlucky coming week. Then Danny thought of an idea…

"Hey guys, uh…just a thought, but um…why don't you guys come with me to Colorado?"

The two of them looked at Danny with surprised looks on their faces.

"Whoa…really? You're offering us to come with you on your vacation?" Tucker said, astonished

"Well yeah! Like I said before, I heard it's a nice hotel. I also heard that it's mounted on a mountain hill, which gives off some nice views, plus with the Rockies behind us. Oh, and there's also some sports like croquet and such, so it has to be nice if it has THAT kind of stuff there. So, yeah, it sounds grandeur to me, at least." said Danny, finished.

Sam then spoke. "Wow, Danny, um…well, don't think I'm grateful and all, but I don't know if my parents would let me."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you care on what your parents think?" He didn't mean to sound so blunt, but Sam understood what he meant.

"Well, they may be pains in the neck, but they're still my parents. And basically what I meant by what my parents would think, is that, a; the hotel is HAUNTED, b; my parents half and half trust you a little-"

"What? Your parents _still_ don't trust me!" Danny said.

"They HALF and HALF trust you, Danny. Meaning they trust you, but sometimes they don't."

Danny just stood there with a confused face.

Sam sighed. "_Anyways_, lastly c; I don't know if my parents would allow me to go on a far away trip with two boys, even if they were my best friends."

Danny and Tucker stood there in shock, blinking and looked at each other. Then they looked back at Sam and held up their hands in defense.

Tucker said "Whoa, Sam! Hey, you're parents know me! I wouldn't go outta my way and try to-" Tucker cringed at the thought of it. "You know…THAT. I mean I just view you as a friend, nothing more." He said, a blush in his face rising.

"Uh, y-yeah, w-what T-T-Tucker said!" Danny said, wondering why in the heck he's stuttering and getting nervous.

Before Sam could say anything to Danny to calm down, the school's jock, Dash Baxter, walked over to Danny and his friends.

"How's it going, geeks!" said Dash.

"Ugh, hello, Dash." Danny said, sort of in relief - but at the same time, a little frustrated -, mainly because he's focusing on something else and it made him stop stuttering and acting nervous.

"So are you dweebs ready for your spring break? Not that yours will be as awesome as mine." Dash said obnoxiously.

"Oh really? Where are you going? To your grandma's house again?" Sam said, sarcastically.

Dash narrowed his eyes and leaned slightly forward to Sam. "No _geek_." He stood back up. "I'm going to Miami Beach for my break, and it's gonna be _so_ _sweet_. I'm staying in one of the nice hotels on the beach. Plus, they're lots of hot women there."

"Well, _Danny_, Tucker, and me, and of course along with his family, are staying at a _classier_ hotel down at Colorado for spring break." Sam said with a smug smirk, while Danny and Tucker looked at Sam in surprised.

"Phfft, whatever. You geeks always go to places together with each other, especially you and Fenturd over there." Dash pointed his finger at Danny. "I'm not surprised you're hitting it off now in a _hotel_." He finished with his own smug smirk.

Sam and Danny froze, their faces starting to blush a tomato red. Dash laughed at the look on their faces.

"Haha! Well, see you dorks after spring break!" Dash said, walking away cackling down the hall.

"Well…that was awkward." Tucker said.

But Danny wasn't going to put up with that, so to see that anyone was looking - just until Dash's stupid laughter was down the hallway -, Danny pointed his index finger and shot his freeze ray at the wet floor that the janitor was mopping. It was a direct hit, and Dash, taken by surprised, slid and fell comically on to the ground. The kids all laughed at Dash, who was dazed and confused on what happened.

"Nice shot." Tucker said quietly to Danny. Danny smiled and looked at Sam who had a look of satisfaction, but still had a little bit of blush on her face. Danny decided not to bring up that embarrassing moment and thought about what she said about going with him to the Overlook.

"So…you just decided, along with Tucker's will, to go with me and my family to Colorado?" Danny said jokingly.

Sam, for the life of her, couldn't stop the red hue on her face after Danny said his sentence. "Well…it sure beats a trip to Detroit. I might need to convince my parents for me to go, but yeah, we'll see." she said with a smile.

"And I know my dad and mom will let me go, since, and lets face it; politics are not always fun." Tucker said also with a smile.

"Well, great! I'll tell my parents that you guys will probably go with us. Don't worry, there's more room in the RV."

The school bell rang, signaling that the kids back to class.

"Alright. When we get home, call me if you guys convinced your parents if you're going or not."

"Will do." Tucker said.

"Sure thing, Danny." said Sam.

So the three friends went to class, awaiting the days to come.

* * *

(End Chapter 2)

**EDIT:** Again, fixed some sentences and paragraphs.

**AN: **Alrighty, well now that the two easiest chapters are done, I'm going to work on the others. I will TRY to post the new chapter three sometime soon, and believe me, I changed a lot of stuff in it. I also hope my writing improves from hereon in. So, again, if this is your first time reading this story, please give me a review! And thank you for reading! :)

**TPOC**


	3. Welcoming

**Heads up here; I changed a bit of The Overlook Hotel's history, so don't go saying stuff like, 'That wasn't in the book!'. Again, this is a FAN-MADE story, people. Besides, all your favorite ghosts(lawl) from the hotel will be in this, plus some minor ghosts I made up. :D Don't worry, they don't play a major role or anything, they're just there for the spooky parts! :D**

**Anywho, here's the new and improved third chapter! Enjoy! :)**

* * *

When school was over, Danny went to his house and talked to his parents about wanting to know if Sam and Tucker could come along with them on their trip. He explained their situation, and Maddie and Jack agreed to it, as Jack said on Sam's part that 'No one has to go to Detroit just for that!'.

Later on, Danny got two calls on his cell phone. The first being Tucker; he said his parents thought it was a great idea! In truth, Tucker didn't tell them about the place being haunted, but Danny was actually grateful for that.

The second call was from Sam; she had to do some hard convincing, but they gave in, but on one condition; she either has her own room, or shares another room with a girl. Either way, she was set to go.

They agreed that they'll pack their things on Saturday and go to Danny's house around the evening to spend the night there and be prepared for the long drive ahead. Jack will be the one driving, so he's 'hitting the hay' around seven o' clock and waking up around twelve in the morning Monday.

So now Danny has the whole gang and his family together going to the Overlook Hotel, spending the whole week there to let the employees wait on them hand and foot. Could it get any better?

* * *

It was a VERY long drive from Illinois to Colorado, but they made it. They pass the time doing their usual things; Tucker, of course, was on his PDA, Sam was listening to her I-pod, Jazz was reading, and Danny was either playing his handheld game console or looking out the window. They slept along the way too, along with Jack, who let Maddie take turns on driving the RV. The roads were quite clear, if not too chaotic.

They arrived around 8:00 PM in a town called Rockerwell, Colorado, a quaint, beautiful mountain town filled with charm. They passed it and drove six miles away from it to drive to the mountain hills above the town, which is where their destination is. Even though it was nighttime, they can still make out the immense mountain fields of the northern Colorado countryside.

"I bet the scenery is nice." Jazz said as she looked out the window to see the wide-open mountain fields.

"The Overlook Hotel, huh? You know, when saying it in a spooky voice, it does sound like its haunted. The _OoOoOo-verlook_! Tucker said in a goofy-like spooky tone, wiggling his fingers in emphasis.

Sam, who was sitting across from him, just rolled her eyes at Tucker and went back to reading her _Van_ _Helsing_ book.

Danny looked out the window with anticipation. He actually can't wait to see what this hotel is like, even though it's said to be haunted. He wonders what the exterior of the hotel would look like. Plus, having the view of the Rockies behind them was also an added bonus for him.

"You look like you're excited." Danny turned to his sister Jazz, who was holding a book in her hands and had a smirk on her face.

Danny turned to his sister with a smile, who also was sitting across from him as well. "Well, this _is_ my first visit to the Rocky Mountains area." he teased.

Jazz just smiled and went back to her reading.

After driving through the mountain hills away from the town limits, they drove onto a nicely gated entrance that leads to the hotel.

"Here it is, kids! The Overlook Hotel!" cried Jack happily, who was once again on the drivers seat.

A lit up sign that's in front of the gates say 'The Overlook Hotel', while along in the middle separate column that divides the entrance and exit ways has the letter 'O' and 'L' on it. They entered the property, which was consisted of a few trees and a beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains. They were driving on the cul-de-sac road, looping around the large cul-de-sac circle of land, where a big beautiful formal garden with flowers and hedges, plus four topiary animal sculptures – which they all resembled lions – were displayed in front of the hotel.

The hotel looked like it said it was; grand. The entire hotel was brightly lit up and was probably about as wide as a whole football field. The hotel's style was a classy Georgian, with white paint on the exterior, complete with a red roof top.

"Wow…" Danny said, mesmerized by the old, yet beautiful looking hotel.

"Dude! We're staying in that! Dang, that is one awesome old looking hotel!" Tucker said impressed.

"Now this place looks WAY better than a hotel in Miami Beach." Sam said, smirking.

"Wow…I wonder what kind of history this place has." Jazz said.

"Hopefully it's a ghostly one! I would love to find those ghosts right now if I had too!" Jack said awake and eager to hunt down some ghosts.

But Maddie added, "Now Jack, we have to meet the manager first. And I think you might need the rest as well, sweetheart." Their RV came to a stop in front of the hotel.

Jack gave his wife a pleading puppy look, but Maddie gave Jack a look that says 'you're going to listen to me and that's final'. Jack frowned comically.

"Oh alright, go ruined my fun. But if those ghouls attack the kids and our bedrooms, don't say that I said so!"

"Jack, the ghosts here don't attack people. The manager said that they just bother the guests is all." informed Maddie.

Jack gave out a pout. "…Well…I still wanna hunt some ghosts." Jack said dejectedly, while Maddie gave him a smile and patted his arm, reassuring him.

Everyone got out of the vehicle while carrying their luggage, and went through the double doors inside the hotel and into the lobby.

They instantly noticed that the lobby had an exquisite charm when they walked in. The dark hard wood flooring looked magnificent, and the rich, darkened decorative wood adorned the lobby walls, making it have an old charm. The lobby itself was also widely grand, filled with plush chairs, and two grand fireplaces. One lone reception desk was there, and next to the desk and in-between the fireplaces, was a grand staircase that led to all four floors. On the right side of the stairway were two old brass elevators, for the staff to bring the luggage up to their rooms, and behind the staircase were two other seemingly newly added elevators with classy intricate designs on the doors. All in all, it really made up to its reputation for having an old luxury feel to it.

Meeting them there were two people. One stood a Caucasian man in his forties who was wearing a nice suit, while the other, who was sitting in one of the chairs, was an African-American man in his fifties, wearing casual clothes and a jacket.

"Hello there!" Jack waved at the two, dragging his suitcase with an enthusiastic smile.

The African-American man got up from his chair and smiled, waving to them as well. The man in the suit, however, had a frown on his face.

"…Hello." said the Caucasian man as he eyed Jack and Maddie's apparel with a queer, but dull, skeptic look. "You finally made it."

Jack chuckled. "Yeah, sorry about the wait! I hope you all didn't wait for us too long!"

The other man next gave out a chuckle of his own. "No, no! Not at all! You're actually all on time! Welcome!" He came to them and shook Jack's hand. "My name is Dick Hallorann, I'm the head chef of the hotel."

"Well nice to meet you, Dick!" Jack smiled. "My name is Jack, and this is my ghost huntin' partner and wife, Maddie!"

Maddie smiled and said her hellos.

Jack walked over to the man in the suit standing in front of the reception desk. "I'm guessing you're the manager?" He said with a smile as he extended his hand out to shake his.

The man in question, however, didn't shake his hand and only nodded with a stoic expression. "Yes, indeed I am." He said in his dull tone. Jack looked at him peculiarly, and let his hand sheepishly go back to his side.

"My name is Stuart Ullman. Welcome to the Overlook Hotel." He eyed the kids that were behind them. "Your children, along with one of their friends, I presume?" Stuart questioned with the same dull drawl.

"Oh yes! This is Jazz, our oldest daughter, and Danny our youngest, along with his two friends, Sam Manson, and Tucker Foley." says Maddie, introducing them.

Danny waved at them. "Hi." he said with a smile.

"Hello!" Jazz.

"Hey." Sam.

"What's up?" Tucker.

While they introduced themselves, Dick's smile, however, was replaced with a bothered look on his face, but he seemed to snap out of it and shifted back into a slightly strained smile and said, "Hello there." He then turned his attention back to Stuart.

Danny, along with the exception of Jazz, Sam and Tucker, saw this with slightly raised eyebrows. They shift their eyes to glance at each other until drawing their attention to the manager, who put his hands behind his back. "Well, I would believe it has been a long drive for you all. I suppose we should get right down to business." He turned his head towards Dick. "Dick, if you would please be kind enough to guide the children where everything is around here, and give them their keys once you are done?"

Dick nodded. "Sure thing."

Stuart then turned his attention back to Jack and Maddie. "Leave your things in here for now." He straightens his suit. "If you would follow me, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton." He turned and walked past the reception desk and into the hall.

Jack and Maddie, along with Danny and the rest of the gang, looked and blinked oddly at Stuart. Jack took a quick glance at Maddie, as she did the same. They both shrugged and followed Stuart, leaving their luggage near the desk, but not until Maddie turned to the kids, and said with a smile and mouthed, "We'll be right back!" to the kids, leaving them alone in the lobby with Dick.

"Talk about a stiff." Tucker whispered to Sam, mentioning Ullman as soon as they were gone.

Dick turned to the kids with a smile and stared a conversation with them, "So, I heard you kids are from Amity Park; the town that's filled with ghosts?"

"Heh, yeah, pretty much." Danny sheepishly answered, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's really not a bad place once you get used to all the ghost attacks."

Dick's eyebrows rose up. "Ghost attacks? My goodness, that sounds mighty dangerous!"

"Ah, no need to worry!" Tucker said, waving his hand dismissively. "We have the ghost boy hero, Danny Phantom, to take care of any menaces."

Dick raised a curious eyebrow. "Danny Phantom?" He looked at Danny. "Any relation?" he said chuckling.

Danny and the gang froze.

"Uh, n-no! O-of course not!" Danny laughed nervously. "I mean, what are the odds me being the same person just because my name sounds similar to the ghost boy?" he said as he anxiously chuckled.

While Danny was talking, Sam and Jazz elbowed Tucker to both of his sides, causing him to wince. Thankfully, Dick didn't see that as his attention was on Danny, who just laughed at what Danny said.

"Hey, calm down, calm down! I wasn't saying you were!' he said good-naturedly.

"Oh, yeah! I-I know…" Danny said, as he mentally cringed for acting so ridiculous.

Sam decided to say something at that point. "So, uh, you said you're the head chef around here?"

Dick turned to Sam with a smile. "Why yes I am! And I'm more than happy to show you kids where all the food is since you will all be staying here for a while, so why don't I show you where kitchen is real quick?" he said to them.

Tucker perked up. "That, my good sir, sounds good to me!"

Dick laughed. "Well alright then, follow me!"

As they begin to walk with Dick down the bright, elegant halls to the restaurant, Danny noticed something about the hotel.

"Hey, wait a second." Danny said, looking around. "Where's the staff?"

"Oh, you kids didn't know? They all went home, due to the fact that ghost hunters are here getting rid of the ghosts." Dick said to them as they walked in the halls filled with brass sconces' on each side of the walls.

"Wait, so…there's no staff?" Tucker said a little disappointed.

Dick chuckled. "Nope. 'Fraid not, young man. And sad to say, I'm not working until they get rid of them either."

"Actually, that's fine with me. I rather just relax without being pampered." Sam stated.

"You're crazy, Sam, you know that? Crazy." Tucker said dryly. "And you do realize there are ghosts here?"

Sam gave Tucker a dull irritated look and said, "Well, why not make the best of it? These ghosts are probably not as bad as the ones in Amity Park, right Mr. Hallorann?"

Dick didn't say anything for a second as they walked to their destination. Sam wondered if he heard him right, but before she can make sure, Dick said, "Well, they can be a little…_mischievous_."

"Mischievous?" Sam echoed, a little surprised and a little worried. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh don't worry; it's nothing to get scared over. They just like to mess with people sometimes. Nothing too serious. The ghosts here rarely act like that though, so it's nothing to fright over." Dick reassured.

Jazz cut in the conversation. "So, is that the reason why Mr. Ullman called our Mom and Dad here? Because the ghosts are bothering the guests and the employees?"

"Mm-hm. Pretty much! But it's mostly the staff that's been experiencing all types of activity around here." Dick replied.

"Really? What kind of activity?" Danny questioned.

At this point in the conversation, they entered the open doors of the restaurant, which was a wide room filled with many nice white table-clothed tables and chairs. There were a pair of other doors inside the restaurant to the right – and outside the hall as well - leading to a bar room, called 'The Gold Room'.

"Oh, you know, the usual things; objects move on their own, hearing whispers and voices, and hearing footsteps in the halls." Dick said as they walk past the tables.

Danny smiled in relief. "That doesn't sound too bad." He said as they entered the wide, well equipped restaurant kitchen.

"Yeah! These ghosts really do sound like small fry to your parents!" Tucker turned to Danny with a smile as well.

Dick shook his head with a grin and chuckled. "Well that's good to hear! I was worried you kids will start getting anxious on staying here. Although, truthfully, Ullman thinks it's just the staff's 'superstitious' imagination. He doesn't believe any of that."

The kids blinked in puzzlement. "Wait…then, why did he call them?" Danny said, confused.

"Well, actually, the workforce, and I," Dick motioned to himself, "complained about it to Ullman enough to make him give in and hire someone to get rid of the problem."

"Must have been a lot of protesting." said Sam.

"You have no idea." Dick muttered to himself.

"Speaking of whom, Mr. Ullman seems to be very…_serious _about his job." mentioned Jazz, implying Stuart's demeanor.

"Tch, if that's a nice way of saying he's arrogant, then yeah, he's pretty serious." Dick said disdainfully.

Danny and the gang winced. "Not much of a people person, is he?" Danny stated.

"Only when he's sucking up to important guests. That, and he's cheap." Dick informed.

Jazz cleared her throat. "Well…the hotel still looks nice, even with a manager like you have." she complimented.

Dick grinned. "Heh, yeah, this place is still kicking even with all the-" he paused for a moment. "…ghosts around."

Danny wondered why he paused, but thought nothing of it as he didn't think it was important.

Tucker shrugged. "Eh, well, for me, as long as these ghosts don't shoot ecto-beams at my well being, then I guess staying here for the week won't be too bad." Tucker said optimistically.

"Yeah…I guess." Sam said hesitantly, still uneasy about the some of info Dick told them.

Danny noticed Sam's discomfort and said, "Hey, don't worry Sam! You know my Mom and Dad are professionals. They'll get rid of these ghosts sooner than you think!"

Sam turned to Danny and gave him a slight smile. "Yeah…you're right. I shouldn't worry. Heck, I should've known better, actually."

Danny gave her a smile as well.

"Alright then," Dick said with clapped hands, "since we're all here in the kitchen, I'll show you all where the produce is." Dick offered kindly.

* * *

Stuart Ullman's office was of average size, but it was quite quaint. With a big polished wooden desk, complete with all the trimmings on it, such as the golden nametag on his desk, and an old fashioned radio, Ullman sat behind it to study the people that he, to himself, so regrettably hired.

Jack and Maddie, still in their ghost hunting attire, were sitting in two separate chairs in front of Ullman's desk. Maddie, with a happy smile, sat patiently in her chair. Jack was also sitting in his chair with a smile on his face and looked quite content.

Stuart just looked at them with a bored expression.

Maddie's smile faded as she was starting to feel uncomfortable with the man's stare on them, and was starting to shift in her seat uneasily. Jack, a little uncomfortable himself from all the silence, let his eyes shift back and forth to avoid Ullman's gaze, his smile faltering a little.

Seconds passed.

Until Stuart said, "So…how _long_ have you two been doing this…line of work?" he asked in a dry tone, eyes looking at each of them.

Jack, in his relief, spoke up with a grin and answered, "Ever since in college, really. Well, actually in college, we, and a friend of ours, have been experimenting on creating a device that can open a ghostly dimension called the 'Ghost Zone'. Maddie and I really became ghost hunters when we graduated! Yep! Got our degrees in 'Paranormal Science'! Why, I can remember it like it was yesterday, when Maddie and I walked through that row with smiles on our faces-"

"Stop, just-just…_stop_. _Please_, I've heard enough." interrupted Stuart bitterly, shaking his head and using his hand to motion him to stop talking.

Jack's grin disappeared and was replaced with a frown of hurt confusion. Maddie blinked dumbly at Ullman's now rude-like attitude. She would understand that listening to Jack's ramblings would be tedious, but this man didn't have to be harsh about it. She asked hesitantly, "Um…Mr. Ullman? Is…something the matter?"

Ullman sighed loudly, his hand gripping his forehead with his elbow on the desk. He released his head and put his hands on the desk in front of him as he gazed at them with a scornful glare.

"I'm going to be quite frank." Stuart said with a pause. "…I _REALLY _didn't want to hire you two. By the most fiber of my being, I _really_ didn't want to." Stuart said in an irritated tone. "Quite frankly, I think what the two of you do is a waste of time. This _job _I called you here for, is a waste of _my_ money, and your _presence_,all together, is a waste of _my _time."

Maddie frowned deeply at Ullman's offensive remark. Jack frowned as well as he said, "Now wait just a minute-"

"_But_, the staff, _apparently_, will not stop bothering me with these superstitious claims of hearing who-knows-what around these parts. They even came close to quitting at points, and I _don't_ want to lose any employees, no matter how ridiculous their assumptions are. _And_ if I lose employees because of their wild imaginations, guests are going to think something is wrong with the hotel, thus, they will be paranoid and irrational in their thinking that there might besomething _supernatural_ in the Overlook. So you can pretty much see why I called you all here to do this."

Maddie and Jack were both taken aback at Ullman's words in stunned silence.

Stuart, however, wasn't finished, "_And_, even though I'm a skeptic, back in the very early nineties, someone has already _exorcised_ these so-called _ghosts_. So, whether I believe in this nonsense or not, it has already been taken care of, _even_ _though_ the former manager foolishly decided to close it down, just to be 'safe'." Ullman said contemptuously with a sneer at that last part.

Both of the Fentons still sat there with more stunned silence. Until Maddie broke the silence by saying, "Well…it's certainly fine that you're a skeptic, Mr. Ullman, but from what we heard from you, it seems that your employees _might _say otherwise." she reasoned.

"And what we DO is _not_ a _waste of time_!" Jack argued with Stuart. "If you were ever in Amity Park, you'll be turned into a firm believer and see what kind of work we do as ghost hunters!" he finished vigorously, slightly rising from his chair.

"Jack, let me handle this." Maddie said, calming her husband down. Jack relaxed and sat back down, but still frowned at Ullman, who still gazed at them with a cold stare.

Maddie faced the manager and said, "Now, we may have gotten off the wrong foot here, so let's try this again and act a little more civilized, shall we?" she requested.

Ullman's expression didn't change, but answered, "Very well."

Maddie nodded and started, "You called us here for a job, _and_ a free vacation might I add, at this hotel, which by the way, is a very nice one at that. We traveled three states, including this one, to reach to our destination, also. Now, as I said before, if you're a skeptic, that's fine, but still, it doesn't exclude the fact that you've hired us to do this job. So no matter how much you think that this is nonsense, you hired _us_, to do _this_ particular job, for _you_." Maddie pointed out

Stuart's expression softens into a more serious look, and nodded as well. "Indeed I have."

"So, for your sake, of course, we would like to get started. Humor us if you will. Now, I'll ask you this; what do you know about the troubles and history this hotel has?" Maddie inquired.

Ullman stared at them again with the same look. He then closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He said, "The only thing my employees say to me, is that they see things move around and hear voices. Naturally, I say it's some of the medication they are taking, but they wouldn't come to grips with that notion."

"Alright, now we're getting somewhere." Maddie stated. "Do the guests experience any activity at all?"

Stuart rests his hand on the table again. "Apparently, they encountered _something_ of the sorts, but thankfully it didn't bother them _too_ much." he remarked a little snidely.

Maddie nodded. "Okay, anyplace we should…'investigate'?" she briefly used the quotation marks with her fingers.

Stuart shook his head soberly. "You know, search the entire place for all I care. These _ghosts_ are certainly bound to be around here _somewhere_, don't you think?" he asked cynically.

Jack furrowed his brows at Ullman and looked like he was about to say something, until Maddie reached towards his arm and patted it, signaling him that she's got it under control.

She focused her attention on Ullman. "You're right. They could be anywhere. So we'll just try to find these 'ghosts' the hard way, won't we Jack?" she turned her head to her husband.

Jack grumbled a 'Yeah', as he crossed his arms and stared at Ullman with an intense frown on his face.

Maddie advert her attention back to Stuart. "Now, can you tell us a little history on the hotel?"

Stuart seemed to pause for a little bit, as if contemplating on it.

A few seconds later, he answered, "I can only tell you that The Overlook Hotel had its up and downs through the years. The hotel was built in 1907 by a man named Robert Townley Watson. It was completed in 1909, and a year later, it opened its doors. Unfortunately, the hotel was a financial burden for him, so he sold it in 1915. During those years, it was sold and resold time and time again, until at the end of World War II, when it was bought by one lone millionaire, by the name of Horace Derwent. He spent time and millions on renovating The Overlook, making it what looks like today. Guests, of course, flourished and stayed over at The Overlook, but Horace didn't get a penny back of his money. So he went into financial depression…" Stuart lingered there for a second, until he spoke again. "…he put it up for sell later in the early fifties, and it was sold by California investors. That, however didn't last too long. They weren't…'hotel people'." Ullman stated.

"Years later, it was bought by the former manager, a Mr. Gerald Hazeldon, in 1978. It lived through many years, until he closed it down in 1990 for foolish reasons…as you may know." Ullman narrowed his eyes at Jack disdainfully. Jack bitterly narrowed his eyes at Stuart as well.

Maddie interrupted their stare down with a cough, "So when did you purchase the hotel, Mr. Ullman?"

Stuart turned his gaze from Jack and stared back at Maddie. "Five years ago. Me and another man named Albert Shockley thought about reviving The Overlook to its former glory. It has absolute potential to be one of the best hotels in the country, and I will _see_ to it that it will be enjoyable to many guests."

"So where _is _Mr. Shockley?" Jack blurted out condescendingly.

Stuart turned to him to glare at Jack for a couple of seconds until answering, "Unfortunately, he couldn't meet you all. He's in his condo in New York. However, he wished you all the best of…_luck_."

"Tell him _thank you _for the kind words." Jack said sourly to Ullman.

Maddie barged in on the exchange between the two men. "Well, that seems like a noble cause." she said forcing a smile, referring to Stuart's ambition. "Alright…now, what I'm about to say, you'll have to tell the truth here. Because even though you don't believe in this ghost stuff, I need to know…how many people died here?"

Ullman sat in silence as he took glances at Maddie and Jack. He closed his eyes once more and took a big sigh through his nose, and leaned forward whilst grasping his hands together on the desk. "I will tell you that people _did_ in fact have died in this hotel. I will_ not_, however, tell you everything."

"Why not!" Jack exclaimed, uncrossing his arms and letting his arms and hands rest on the arms of the chair while he leaned forward slightly.

"Jack…" Maddie said, trying to reassure him.

"_Because_, Mr. Shockley does not want any info leaked out, not even to _ghost hunters_ like yourselves, for it'll ruin the reputation of The Overlook if any of you even said a _word_ about it." Stuart explained, seething.

"Well, rest assure, we're not going to." Maddie said while holding on to Jack's arm in an attempt to calm him down, which it did. "However, we need to at least know about some of the people who died here."

Stuart gave Maddie a cold hard stare. He answered, "Fine, but you two better keep your word. The more I tell you, the shorter this meeting will be over."

Maddie nodded while Jack's glare lessened to a look of interest, now finally getting to know about the ghosts.

Ullman started, "It was 1978, the year The Overlook open its doors once more. A charity ball was being held, and wealthy guests were attending to it. While the staff was arranging for the ball, an employee by the name of Casey Harold was preparing homemade citrus punch.

"Casey was…a complicated, yet smart individual, although he angers easily and sometimes has grudges on people. He was quite the unstable man…he was also a chemist, having a degree in chemistry." He paused to look at them, to see if they knew where he was going with this information. Maddie seem to widen her eyes and nod in understanding, while Jack raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

Ullman continued, "While preparing the punch, he added an immense amount of potassium cyanide to it." That gave a reaction to the Fentons as they widened their eyes in surprise. "He took it to the ballroom where some of the guests drank it. They all died on the spot. He also committed suicide by drinking the punch."

Maddie and Jack sat there in stunned silence for a few seconds, until Maddie asked, "Was there any reason why he did it?"

"The people that knew him said that he was deeply depressed at the time; his girlfriend leaving him for another man. Also the authorities said that alcohol was involved. It seems in his record, he likes to drink, but this didn't give much proof that that was what drove him to do such a crime. That is, until they found his chemistry set in his house, where he produced the cyanide, and found liquor bottles in his trash. Like I said, he was an unstable man, which makes me wonder why he was hired in the first place." Stuart said, shaking his head with a grimace. "He should've gotten therapy." he added. He then finished by saying, "The authorities then suspected the crime as 'insane foul play'."

Jack put his hand to his chin in thought and muttered, "He might've been possessed by a ghost."

Stuart ignored Jack's mumbles and said, "That's all I will say on this matter. Now, if we are quite finished here, I would like to leave and be packed for _my_ vacation." He stood up.

"Hold on a second!" Maddie spoke out, halting Ullman. "You _will _pay us when we're done with this job, will you?" she said with a curious eye.

Ullman looked at her with a dull stare. "Well, if you caught something and prove me wrong otherwise, then we'll see…"

* * *

"Alrighty, so if any of you need any good produce to make yourselves a sandwich, or a salad, or just want to make a good ol' juicy steak for the time being, you know where they are." Dick finished, showing them where everything is.

"Dick, you have me when you mentioned 'juicy steak'." Tucker said jokingly, which made Dick laugh.

"Awesome! This kitchen will be great for making my own signature salads!" Sam said excitedly.

"You know, I can actually handle not having a staff waiting on me hand and foot for the week. It is pretty cool to have a hotel all to yourself." Danny said optimistically.

Dick gave Danny a nod and somewhat of a knowing smile to him. Danny saw this expression and made him wonder a bit, but it was soon brushed aside.

Dick clasped his hands together once more. "Well, are there any questions that you all would like to know about the hotel?" he said.

"Um, I have one." Jazz chimed in. "Just wondering, but are there any outdoor activities?"

"Oh why yes! Outside in front of the hotel is the croquet court. I don't know how well you kids play croquet, but it's really easy to learn and if you're all beginners, and it can be pretty fun!" Dick said.

"Oh, yeah! Croquet! That's the game where you use the mallet and try to hit the ball through the wired hoop, right?" asked Tucker.

"Correct!" Dick said, smiling.

"Well, I never played croquet before, but I'm willing enough to try it sometimes!" Sam said also smiling.

"Oh, and also, there's the library room close to the lobby if any of y'all want to have some quiet reading time." Dick suggested.

Jazz beamed at the mention of a library room. She now has a place for to read her books – and possibly read some of the books in the library room as well.

In all the talking, Danny decided to ask a little bit about the ghosts. "Um, I have a question. It's a…um, ghost one."

Dick turned to Danny and gave out another smile. "Alright then. Fire away."

Danny cleared his throat for a second. "I'm just wondering, but do you know how many ghosts are in this hotel?" Danny asked.

Dick paused for a moment and gave a thoughtful look. He looked up and answered, "You know….I'm not too sure. There's quite a bunch of spirits here from what I heard, so I don't know exactly."

"Really?" Danny inquired with interest, his eyebrows raised. "So…there's a lot of them then?"

"I would say so." confirmed Dick.

"A lot of them? Aw, _man_! Well, I'm _definitely_ keeping the light on tonight when I go to sleep." stated Tucker.

"It looks like your parents will have a handful, Danny." Sam said, giving him a smirk.

"Heh, yeah." Danny said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Hopefully it won't be too much of a hassle for them."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure that they'll get the job done!" Dick said a positive tone. He then glanced at each of the kids. "So, is there anything else?" They shook their heads. "Okay then! I think it's time for me to give you kids the keys to your rooms! If you will all follow me." Dick said leading them out of the kitchen.

"Alright!" Tucker said in an excited manner. "Keys to our own rooms!"

As soon as Dick, Danny and the gang were about to exit out of the kitchen, a cool blue exhaled breath came out of Danny's mouth. Danny silently gasped.

'_Uh oh...'_

He turned around abruptly to see if any ghosts were there. He slowly looked to his left and right and straight ahead.

'_Huh. Guess the ghost went away.'_

"Danny?" Jazz said at the end of the exit of the kitchen.

Danny turned his head towards Jazz. "Uh…sorry, I'm coming." Danny said a little hesitantly as he looked around one more time before walking towards the exit where Jazz was waiting.

Jazz looked at him in concern. "Is everything okay?" she whispered.

"Well…my ghost sense just went off." Danny admitted.

"Your 'ghost sense' went off?" echoed a surprised Jazz.

"Yeah. I was trying to find a ghost, but I couldn't track it anywhere."

Jazz looked at Danny with more concern.

Danny noticed her expression and asked, "What?"

"Danny, you came here to relax. I don't want you to be all worked up on catching any ghosts." Jazz informed him in gentle, yet firm manner.

Danny blinked and held up his hands in defense. "Whoa, Jazz, I'm sorry; I can't help it if my ghost sense goes off. I have to observe what's going on sometimes. Besides, I'm just checking, I'm not catching any ghosts or anything!"

"Oh, so is that why you packed the Thermos in your suitcase then?" Jazz said with a disbelieving brow.

Danny blinked again in shock and tried to explain. "Um, uh, w-well, you know, I just…b-brought it, just in case…" he trailed off there.

Jazz just looked at him in an irritated manner and sighed, "Look, it doesn't matter right now. We need to catch up with the others. We'll talk about it later."

"Uh, sure." Danny agreed.

And so they left the kitchen area.

All was quiet in the kitchen.

* * *

As Danny and Jazz trekked through the halls and into the lobby, they found Sam, Tucker, and Dick waiting for them.

"Wow, you two were slow! What happened?" Tucker said in a joking manner.

"Um…I liked the kitchen so I…browsed some more?" Danny said with a sheepish smile.

Dick chuckled. "Well, it is a nice kitchen!" He made his way towards the reception desk and said, "Now let me get your reserved room keys." He looked for them around the key slots. As he was looking with his back turned, Danny turned to Tucker and Sam and mouthed them 'ghost sense'. They immediately understood and nod their heads.

"Ah! Here they are! Your keys." Dick opened up two slots that contained four hotel card keys, which were connected to old fashioned keys by chain. Also on the chain were two tied ribbons, two of them blue, and two of them pink, to indicate the gender of the guests.

"Wow!" Tucker said quite impressed. "You kept the old hotel keys! I have to say, I'm pretty much of a tech guy, but I do gotta respect that you keep the old authentic charm!"

Dick chuckled at Tucker's comment. "Well, I guess you'll really like the fact that these keys lead to two of the suites."

All four of their mouths dropped.

"Suites! Are you serious!" Sam said, really excited now.

"We get to stay in an old fashioned luxury suite! That's awesome!" exclaimed Jazz.

"I love you now, Dick." Tucker said, giving him a 'thumbs up'.

"Wow…t-thanks!" Danny said, bewildered.

"Oh don't thank me! I'm just giving you the keys. Mr. Ullman was the one who booked which rooms you kids should all stay in!" Dick said whole heartily. "Now, I know you two guys and gals want your privacy away from each other, so for the girls," he handed the girls a key with the number tag on it, "room 221. And for the guys…" he looked at the tag on the key for a moment. His eyes were slightly wide and looked hesitant, almost frightful.

Danny and the gang noticed his expression and exchanged looks at each other, curious. Danny spoke, "Um, Mr. Hallorann?"

Dick snapped out of his trance. "Oh, uh, sorry kids. Here's your key, boys. Room…217." He said, seemingly trying to hide his hesitant tone, and slowly gave the key to Tucker.

The gang now looked worried. "Hey, Dick. Are you okay?" said Tucker in concern.

"Um, yeah. I'm just…wondering if I left something on in my house." Dick said, a little dazed. He then looked at the kids concerning faces and added, "Oh, nothing to worry about. It's nothing, just letting my mind wonder. Um, I hope you all have a good stay at the hotel." Dick said with a sweet smile on his face. But for some reason, it looked a little forced.

The gang just looked at each other warily, but decided to let it go.

"Um…okay. Well, uh…thank you for showing us around." Jazz said to Dick.

"Oh, no problem! Just don't get spooked by any of those ghosts now." Dick said with a reassuring grin. "Well, I better wait for your parents to come over here, so I can give them their keys. I'll see you kids after my vacation ends. Good luck on getting rid of some of those ghosts!" he chuckled, but it sounded weak. "Now, of course, your rooms will be on the second floor. See you kids soon!"

"Um…alright. Thank you, Mr. Hallorann." Sam said.

The kids also said their thanks and were carrying their luggage to the stairs, until Dick spoke.

"Um, excuse me, Danny?

The gang stopped and Danny turned around.

"Um...yes, sir?"

"Uh, can I talk to you for a second?"

He glanced back at his friends and sister, and turned his attention back at Dick.

"Um, okay. Sure."

Danny left his luggage where it was and walked back to Dick. Dick gazed back at the rest of the kids at the stairway and said, "I'm sorry, but I was willing to talk to Danny alone, if that's okay."

The rest of them blinked and glanced at each other. "Uh, sure. We'll meet you upstairs, Danny." clarified Jazz, as they went upstairs, while Sam exchanged a look to Danny that carries suspicion on what Dick wanted to talk to him about.

Danny watched them go up, and turned back to Dick. "So um…what do you want to talk to me about?"

Dick hesitated for a moment. He then said, "What do you know about this…Danny Phantom?"

Danny froze. He looked at Dick with a tentative gaze and nervously looked to his right to see if his parents were coming through the hall into the lobby. "Um…what do I know about him? Well, I know he's a superhero and…he's a ghost-well, actually half ghost from what I heard from my parents. He helps people and…does what heroes do." Danny answered. "…Why?"

Dick stared at him intensively. Danny, starting to feel a little uneasy, shifted his eyes away from looking at Dick and his concentrated gaze.

'_Okay, now this is starting to get a little weird. What's he doing?'_

"Danny." Danny snapped his attention back at Dick. "There's no escaping this, so answer me this question…"

Danny blinked. _'Huh? What is he…?'_

"Are you the half ghost boy hero, Danny Phantom?" Dick asked.

* * *

**Well, there it is! I hope I made it all to your liking! As for the poisoned punch backstory, I hope that was plausible enough for you all to buy into. I looked up what kind of poisons would be quick enough to kill someone and potassium cyanide came up(lol, I feel strange talking about this.). I don't know anything about chemistry so hopefully the guy named Casey made the stuff quick enough for him to slip into the punch.**

…**Seriously, I feel strange talking about this. **

**But anyways, this chapter was completely re-edited and one-hundred percent new, so tell me what you think! Leave a good review! :D**

**EDIT: Decided to put some more back story on the Casey Harold character, plus some other stuff! See if you can find them! XD**

**TPOC**


	4. Secrets

**Okay, so in the old draft of this chapter, I made Dick's 'shining' different. Why, I don't know, I can't remember, but I thought it was a stupid idea to do that. DX But don't worry, this time I kept it the way it should be, so no changes on that part. :D**

**Although, I do hope that the part with the oranges is true. If you know what I'm talking about and if anyone has read the book, then please tell me if it's accurate. My last resource told me it was, and I trust her…not that I'm saying I don't trust my recent resource on the book. But hey, if it isn't, again, point it out for me.**

**Alright! Now let's get on with the newly revised chapter! :D**

* * *

Danny was wide eyed at what Dick had just asked him. "Th-the ghost boy hero?" Danny said, feeling very nervous.

'_How in the world did he KNOW?'_

"Danny, it's okay to tell me. I know. But I need to hear it from your own words." Dick said, trying to console him.

It only made Danny feel more under pressure.

"W-w-what are you talking about?" Danny was feeling very anxious at this point. What did he do wrong to make him reveal his superhero identity? Was it the name similarity that gave it away? I mean, he admits that it wasn't the most clever of names, but thankfully no one suspected it before. Either that or he did something that made him slip up. He wasn't that careless on revealing his ghost alter-ego, was he?

Dick kept talking. "Look, it's alright." he assured. "I also already know that your friends and sister know of your secret."

'_WHAT!' _thought Danny in a whirl of total confusion and anxiety. Danny wasn't too sure what was going on, so he still tried to cover it up. "M-Mr. Hallorann, I don't know what you're sayin-"

"Danny, it's _okay_. Don't be scared. I'm not going to tell your parents or anyone else, I promise." Dick said in a sincere tone.

Danny felt like he was hyperventilating, and he wasn't doing a good job keeping it hidden, as his breath slowly started rising, his anxiety _growing_. Speaking of hidden, he wondered again how in the world his phantom identity had been revealed so easily?

He couldn't think. He felt like he was a deer caught in the headlights. He doesn't even know what to really say at that point, except try not to answer the question. So he kept trying to avoid it, "Look, I-I honestly don't know _what _you're talking about, but you're starting to-"

"_Danny_." Dick said with such force in his name, grasping onto said person's shoulders, startling Danny a little. He looked at Danny's face with sincerity. "You can_ tell _me._ Don't worry._"

Danny calmed down a bit and looked at Dick's face as well. He studied his expression, making out his facial features. His expression was honest, with a little bit of desperation, but for some reason, Danny could see a hint of sadness as well.

"Now…_please_ answer me this…_are_ you Danny Phantom?" Dick said with pleading eyes.

For some reason, Danny didn't felt nervous anymore. Sure, he was uncertain, but after looking at his expression, he sensed a pang of trust in his features. Call him crazy, but he decided to tell him. If Dick really knew his secret and he wouldn't tell anyone like he said, then he might as well…say it? He didn't know…it still made him feel uneasy, what with Dick still grasping his shoulders and all, like he was cornering him into admitting it.

Danny although, decided to speak the truth. He didn't know how Dick found out, but if he told the truth on knowing it and not saying it to anyone else, then he might as well come out with it. Hesitantly, he breathed a slightly stressed, but relieved sigh, and at the same time, put a hand on his forehead. Dick let go of his shoulders and waited patiently.

"Um...o-okay, uh...y-yeah." Danny gulped. "You're…you're right. I'm-" he paused, hesitant on revealing the information to a stranger he barely knows.

He still remembers what Dick said before, but really, when it came right down to it, he didn't know if he should actually believe him or not. But after much hesitation, he still found the courage on saying so.

"I'm..." he lowered his head and muttered. "...the ghost boy, Danny Phantom."

Dick just stood there.

Danny stood there also, waiting for his reaction and reply.

But the reply was not what he expected.

Dick's reply was a chuckle.

Danny looked up, furrowing his brows in confusion.

Dick kept chucking until he said, "I'm sorry for acting a little dramatic back there, Danny. I just wanted to hear it from you before I can be completely sure."

Danny looked at Dick curiously with a raised eyebrow. "Um…okay…?"

"Well, anyways, that confirms MY suspicion!" Dick said with a smile. "So, you're the ghost boy hero, Danny Phantom, huh? Nice to meet ya!" He extended his hand to shake.

Danny, again, looked at Dick peculiarly, but shook Dick's hand nonetheless. "Nice to meet…you?" he said unsurely.

Dick noticed his slight discomfort and began saying, "Hey, don't worry! Like I said, I'm not gonna tell anybody about your secret. But you can tell your friends that I know, just so they won't get suspicious." He gave out another mild chuckle.

Danny blinked. He then shook his head and exasperatingly sighed, "Alright, enough of this. How did you know about my other identity?"

Dick's smile turned into a thoughtful frown and nodded for a brief second. He then gave out a smirk. "Well, just to make you feel at ease, it wasn't the name."

Danny cringed at that. _'Well, at least it _wasn't_ the name. I'm surprised no one figured it out yet.'_

Dick looked around the lobby and continued, "You know, how about we sit down over there and I'll tell you?" He motioned to the chairs in the lobby with a smile. "I don't know when you're parents might come back, so I might need to tell you quickly."

Danny gave him a curious look and shifted his gaze to his right to see once again if his parents were coming into the lobby from the hall. He turned his head back to Dick. "Um…sure." Danny answered.

Dick motioned to one of the comfortable chairs in the lobby and they both sat down at their respected seats across from each other. Dick then started to explain.

"You see," he paused, his expression shifting into a solemn look for a moment, but reverted back into a serious face. "…Danny, I have this…gift. A supernatural gift, if you will. My grandmother used to call it the 'shining'."

"The 'shining'?" Danny questioned.

Dick nodded. "She called it that because she used to say that 'those are the people that shine.'. This gift gives me special abilities. And part of it…lets me read the minds of others."

Danny eyes widen. "Really?" He then raised an eyebrow and eyed him curiously. _'Hmm…if that's true, then can he read my mind even now?'_

"The answer is yes I can." Dick smiled amusingly.

Danny's head shot up and blinked in surprise. He looked at Dick vigilantly, eyes narrowed. He thought of something else. "What am I thinking right now?"

Dick raised an eyebrow. "Well, I can only hear the words coming from inside your mind, but it sounds like the lyrics to 'I'm a Little Teapot'."

Danny gasped, his mouth dropped open and his eyes widened even more. In truth, he was actually imaging Dash dressed up in a clown suit, dancing and singing to 'I'm a Little Teapot'.

"Whoa…" Danny said in awe. He snapped out of his shock and said, "That…that's amazing! Then…does that mean you're like a psychic or something?"

Dick smirked and shrugged. "You could say that. But I prefer to it being called a 'shining'."

Danny smiled. He was starting to slightly feel at ease now, now that he knows how Dick found out about his alter-ego, even though the reason was bizarre. He then thought of something. "Wait, then does that mean you also read Sam's, Tucker's, and Jazz's minds as well?"

"Yes sir!" Dick said contently.

"Wow…so…you know that they knew?" Danny asked.

Dick nodded. "Absolutely."

Danny shook his head with a grin. "Man, of all the strange things I encountered so far, this is has to be the most bizarre." Danny froze and realized what he said. "Uh, not-not that I'm saying you're strange and bizarre! It's just the situation and all-"

Dick laughed. "Hey now, it's alright, I understand!"

Danny just chuckled out of relief. He cleared his throat and then went on to ask, "So, you said reading minds was _part_ of this 'shining' ability. What are the other abilities you have?"

Dick's face twisted into a thoughtful look on his face. It's almost as if he was considering on telling him. He then said, "Well…I have premonitions."

"You do?" said an interested Danny.

Dick nodded. "And the premonitions cause me to smell oranges."

Danny blinked in confusion. "Smell…oranges?"

"Mm-hm. When that happens, I cause to momentarily black out." Dick said, making Danny eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Wait, so…you have premonitions, which makes you smell oranges, and also makes you black out?" Danny asked, confused. "Uh…why?"

Dick shrugged. "I really don't know. Having the 'shining' can surely have strange properties on a person. It's kind of weird, I know, and it's difficult for me to explain, but that's what happens.

"O…kay." Danny said, still a little confused. He decided to just go with it. "So, uh, what kind of premonitions do you have?"

"Oh, just about everyday things. They usually come at me when I least expect it." He thought of an example. "Like when I was grocery shopping one day, my 'shining' kicked in, which of course, cause me to black out. I had a vision of a building that was on fire. It looked like it was an apartment building in a city somewhere – which it was Denver, by the way. Heh, I caused quite a stir when I woke back up, worrying some of the shoppers. They thought I was ill or something of the sort." Dick said with a lighthearted chuckle. He continued, "Two days later though, my vision came true. When I watched the news that day, an apartment building in Denver was in flames, due to a careless person's lit cigarette on the floor. Thankfully, no one was hurt too badly, but that's an example on what my other ability can do."

"Wow…" Danny, who now understood, was deeply intrigued.

"The only downside to that is that I don't know when it's going to happen." Dick said in a depressed tone. Danny noticed this, but decided not to pry.

Danny and Dick heard footsteps on the wooden floors and turned from their seats to see Stuart, along with Jack and Maddie, walking into the lobby. Stuart still had an impassive expression on his face, while Jack looked like he was boring a hole at the back of Stuart's head with his eyes. Maddie just had a reassuring face on to ease her husband, and kept holding his arm and patting it gently.

"Dick," started Stuart, "I'm leaving you to guide Mr. And Mrs. Fenton to show them where everything is in the hotel. Once you are done with that, you may leave and be on your way to pack for your vacation." he stated.

Dick stood up from his chair and said, "Yes sir."

Ullman turned to Jack and Maddie, "I hope you all enjoy your stay…and good luck on your…_hunt_." he said, almost with a sneer, and turned and made his way to the double doors out of the hotel.

After Stuart was gone, Jack grunted in aggravation and turned to Dick. "How do you manage to put up with a guy like him?"

Dick chuckled, "Well, I just manage."

Danny raised an eyebrow, "What happened in the office?"

"Oh, the guy just up and said he doesn't believe in all that 'ghost stuff', and saying what we do is a waste of time! Can you believe _that_?" Jack exclaimed.

Dick winced, "Oh my. I'm sorry you had to deal with that. Mr. Ullman can be quite a pain indeed."

"Well, it didn't really bother me, as it bothered Jack." said Maddie.

Jack then put a smile on his face, "Yep! My wife sure was the negotiator! I had to admit, I would've made a scene if she wasn't there to calm me down!" he said as he put an arm around his wife.

Dick smiled. "Well, rest assure, that part is over!" he looked over at their luggage. "Say, why don't I give you your keys to you room and let you leave your luggage in there? I'll show you the hotel when you two get back."

"That sounds like a plan!" said Jack with a grin. "I wouldn't want any ghosts invading _my_ personal belongings!" He paused and then came up with a thought. "Are some of these rooms haunted, by the way?"

Danny gazed at Dick to see his expression, only to see another thoughtful look on his face. Except this one seemed a little uncertain…almost as if he was contemplating the answer. "Not that I know of."

Maddie then turned to Danny with a smile and said sweetly, "What're you doing out here in the lobby, Danny? Are Jazz, Sam, and Tucker already in their rooms?"

"Oh, um, yeah they are. I was just sitting here talking to Mr. Halloran about…um…" Danny faltered a little there.

"…About the ghost boy, Danny Phantom!" Dick finished for him.

Danny looked at him wide eyed. _'What the! What's he…'_

Jack raised an eyebrow at Danny. "You were talking about the ghost boy? Why were you talking about him?"

Dick answered for him. "Well, I wanted to know more about this ghost boy, and since you and your kids and his friend's encounter him, along with many other ghosts in your town, I wanted to know more about him from a civilian. …Is that okay?"

"Oh, that's fine, it's just…why him?" Jack asked.

Danny decided to intervene. "Well, he just seemed interesting to talk about at the time, and he's…kind of a hero, so…" Danny stopped there.

Maddie raised an eyebrow of her own. "Danny, he's a ghost, I wouldn't exactly talk about him like that. A ghost is a ghost."

Danny winced. Dick cleared his throat and said, "Well, how about I give you your keys?"

Jack smiled, forgetting all about the mentioning of Danny Phantom. "Sure thing!"

Dick walked over and went behind the reception desk and pulled out a slot to get out two keys. "Okay, here they are!" he gave them to Jack and Maddie. "These are the keys to the third floor 'Cottage' suite! Hope you all enjoy your stay!" he smiled.

"Oooh! A suite! How exciting!" Maddie giggled.

"Thanks Dick! We'll just put our suitcases in the room, and we'll come right back down!" Jack informed.

"Oh, take your time! No rush!" Dick grinned, coming out of the reception desk booth.

Jack and Maddie soon carried their things and went to the elevator in the hall. They went inside it and proceed to go up.

Dick and Danny were alone again, and Dick turned back to Danny saying, "Now before you get the wrong idea, I was just-"

"-Trying to see what my parents thought about my superhero identity?" Danny nonchalantly finished for him.

Dick blinked. "Um…yes."

Danny smirked and shrugged casually. "Fair enough."

Dick stood there in befuddlement for a second, snickered and shook his head. "You're a smart kid, Danny." He paused for a moment, having another brief solemn look on his face. He slightly shook his head and said, "So, is there anything else you want to ask before your parents come back?"

Danny considered on asking Dick why he was hesitant on giving him and Tucker his keys. "Well…was there any reason you looked…well, anxious when you gave mine and Tucker's keys?"

Dick stood there, lowered his head, and bit his bottom lip. He looked back up at Danny and sighed, "Okay, I guess I'll be honest too. The room Mr. Ullman booked you two in…is a very active haunt spot."

Danny froze in shock, eyes widen. "Wait…are you saying Tucker and I are staying in a _really _actively…_haunted_ room?"

Dick sighed exasperatedly, "Yeah…that moron Ullman." He muttered.

Danny looked distressed for a moment, but not because he has to stay in a haunted room, but mostly because he imagine that Tucker wouldn't like it as well. He then asked, "What kind of activity goes on in that room?"

Dick glanced at Danny, and lowered his head. He stood there for a good few seconds thinking. He furrowed his brows and frowned, "I'm…really not quite sure. I only went by the room once. I may have an idea though, but…" he faltered. He looked up at Danny. "Listen Danny, um…you know you can turn into Danny Phantom when something is amiss, alright?"

Danny blinked in surprise and stared at Dick. "O…kay."

"You know, just incase they do anything…_too mischievous_." Dick informed.

"…Wait, so...are you saying that these ghosts could cause…harm?" Danny said, a little worried.

"Oh, no, no!" Dick said, his tone changing into a lesser serious one. "They'll just try to scare you is all! I just don't want them to bother you kids! I was saying that so you can keep them in their place, you know, being Danny Phantom and all." He said with a grin.

"Oh!" Danny said, understanding – and a little relieved. "Well…heh, yeah, sure!" He chuckled. "You know, from the way you described the ghosts just now, you make them sound like the stereotypical ones from the cartoons."

Dick chuckled…until he paused for a moment. "Wait right there." Dick said as he walked over to the reception desk to grab some paper and a pen and started writing on it. Danny tilted his head in curiosity.

Dick came back and handed Danny a rip piece of paper with a phone number on it. "Here's my cell phone number. I researched a little bit of history on the hotel, so call me if you want to report to me on any ghost sightings you saw. I'll try to answer on which ghost is who. You may want to use the landline phones since cell phone reception is kind of weak here."

Danny looked at the piece of paper and at Dick. "Uh, okay…"

Dick smiled. "Well, I think we have enough conversations! Go on up to your room. And really, despite all the ghosts, I really do hope you will enjoy your stay here."

Danny smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Hallorann."

"Oh please, call me Dick, son. It makes me feel young." he says heartily.

Danny chuckled. "Alright then. Thank you Dick. And I'll keep what you said in mind."

Dick nodded. He then remembered something and said, "Oh, one more thing! Maybe it would be okay if your parents and your friend Tucker didn't know about your room being haunted. You did came here to relax, and I can be sure you can take care of the problem yourself."

Danny thought about that, and considered that that would be the best thing to do. "Yeah, I guess that would be fair. And I'll call you if my Mom and Dad or I caught any ghost, just so you can be at ease." He said with kind smile.

Dick smiled back. "Thanks Danny."

"No prob." Danny grinned.

When Danny walked to the stairs, he stopped to turned back to Dick, "Just wondering, but where are you vacationing?"

Dick smirked. "Oh, just Miami."

Danny blinked and chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, aren't you lucky?"

"Hey, I love it there! What can I say?" he laughed.

Danny smiled. "Well, it's been really interesting talking to you. U-uh, I mean in a good way."

Dick laughed more heartily this time. "Hey now, don't worry! Being 'interesting' is fine with me!" he said with a smile.

Danny gave out a one last chuckle. "Okay then. I'll see you soon."

"You too." Dick said, still smiling a sweet smile.

Danny then walked up the stairway to meet up with his friends and Jazz., while Dick waited for Jack and Maddie.

* * *

**Alright! I hope this chapter wasn't too rushed or anything. This was again, one hundred percent new and edited! :) And for anybody who read the book, tell me if I did an okay job with Dick and him explaining about his 'Shining'. I know I might've missed some other aspects of it, but I didn't want to go further into it in the story, as it would take a lot of time to explain it in one setting. **

**Actually, I think I need to inform anyone who has read the book that this Dick will be a LITTLE different. Not too different, he's still the same, but he doesn't know too much of the Overlook's past. I hope that's okay. I just hope I'm not ruining anything. D: **

**But other than that, please review and tell me what you think! :D **

**TPOC **


	5. Settling In

"What do you think Dick wants to talk to Danny about?" Jazz wondered.

"I don't know, but Mr. Hallorann acted a little suspicious." Sam said skeptically, wanting to know why Dick wanted to talk to Danny in private.

"What, Dick? Come on, so he acted a little strange, that doesn't make him some sort of prime suspect of something."

"Oh please, Tucker, the only reason you're ignoring what happened is because he told you where the _steaks_ were." Sam said, clearly emphasizing the word 'steaks'.

"Hey, no guy is guilty if they show me where the meat is." Tucker acknowledged. Sam just irritably rolled her eyes.

The gang was all on the second floor, the waiting area near another elevator between the long hallways. Tucker sat on the sofa bench to the left while Jazz and Sam just stood, waiting for Danny.

"Well, just to let you two know, we're not eavesdropping." reminded Jazz.

"Oh darn, you ruined our fun, Jazz." Sam said sarcastically. Jazz just gave her a look.

"I'm serious. Let Danny handle his own stuff for a while."

"Okay, okay." Sam said, raising her hands. "But I'm going to wait for him when he comes up."

Tucker got up from the bench and spoke "Well, I don't know about you gals, but I'M gonna go check out the suite. I'll be waiting for Danny in there." He said, as he carried his stuff down the right hallway.

He walked down the carpet floor and intersecting halls, to the door to the suite Danny and himself shared, marked '217'. He used his key, and let himself in.

He entered a very nice looking room, full of old charm and grace. The main room was wide, and the old furnishings were nicely refurbished and placed. The two cozy looking beds in the room were located at the right end, with the sitting area on the left side. Different decorations were on the wall, including a pair of crossing croquet mallets.

Tucker looked around the room, impressed.

"Pretty nice." Tucker said as he grinned to himself.

He walked around the room, admiring what was all in the suite. Tech wiz or not, Tucker had to appreciate a good hotel room.

While he browsed, a door caught his attention in front of the sitting area. It probably led to the bathroom. He went to the door and opened it.

Tucker was again impressed as he entered a very big, nice master bathroom with blue and white decorative tiled walls, an old fashioned tub with shower curtains hanging around it in the back of the room, an old fashioned marble black sink to the left, complete with a white tiny tiled floor.

"Wow, I'm really digging this old charm." he said, as he took another step inside the bathroom.

He stopped short.

"Huh?" Tucker blinked.

He smelled something. Something nice. Tucker began sniffing this aroma. It was something… fresh. It almost smelled like perfume.

Tucker didn't know where the smell came from or how it came to be. All he knew was that it just smelled so…intoxicating. Now, Tucker wasn't the type of guy who loves to smell in such fragrances, but it was just so alluring. Tucker stood in the bathroom for a while, smelling the wonderful scent…

* * *

Sam and Jazz were in the hall, waiting for Danny. They stood next to each other, silent and wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Jazz thought, _'Hoo-boy, this is awkward. I'm standing next to one of Danny's friends, who - is in fact - a girl, and I have nothing to say. And add to the fact that I will be sharing a room with her. Also, I don't think she's the type of girl I am, which is an ordinary girl. And by ordinary, I mean normal…'_

Jazz tapped the front of her shoe on the floor in anticipation. Sam also had an uneasy look on her face.

Sam thought, _'Darn it. I just realized that I have to share a room with Danny's SISTER. That will be so…weird. I mean, what kind of conversation can I start? I don't think Nine Inch Nails would be one of her favorite bands. And I have to not talk so much about Danny, or she will suspect that I like him…which I do. Ugh, this is just terrific._'

They continued to stand there in the awkward silence.

"...Did you know Danny used to be scared of closets?" Jazz began, hoping to break the silence.

Sam looked up at Jazz and blinked. "Huh?"

"Oh, um..." Jazz tried to rephrase what she said. "Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was saying he used to be scared of closets, because he was afraid of what would be in them. You know, like, monsters. He was little at the time and he was in that whole 'there were scary things in your closet' stage."

"Oh." Sam stood there and let it sink in. "Wait, seriously?" She said incredulously.

"Hey, I lived it." Jazz said with a smirk. "And my Dad, being who he is, thought it was ghosts, which frightened my brother even more. After Dad and Mom went to 'investigate' his closet, they told him that there were no ghosts in there. Danny calmed down a bit, but was still hesitant to sleep in his room. So Mom gave him a nightlight, and he was okay ever since."

"Really?" Sam smiled and chuckled through the story. "So, when did he stop using the nightlight?"

"Hmm…I think when he was around…eleven."

"What! Eleven! No way!"

Jazz giggled. "Yep, believe it or not!"

Sam laughed. "Well, it looks likes Danny 'came out of that closet' just in time!"

Jazz then burst out laughing. "Oh that's terrible, Sam! Honestly!" She said, still laughing.

Sam snickered. "Hey, we all know Danny! He knows we're just saying this out of fun!" she said with a smirk.

They kept laughing for a few more seconds until it started to die down.

They were soon met with more awkward silence.

Sam and Jazz stood there, holding onto the handles of their roll-on suitcases, shifting in their positions.

Sam was looking at the décor of the hotel around her. She took a quick glance at Jazz to see that she was gazing at the stairs, probably waiting for Danny. _'Well, she did manage to stir up a conversation. But still…I don't trust her with Danny's secret, no matter how much she tries to act all friendly.'_ Sam frowned at the thought.

Jazz also took a quick glance at Sam who wasn't looking at her at the moment. She seemed to be frowning, deep in thought. Jazz also frowned and released a short breath. _'I guess she still doesn't trust me. It's really not easy getting on her good side.' _Tired of the silence, she decided to speak. "So…we'll be sharing a room..."

Sam gazed back at Jazz with a raised eyebrow. "…Yeah…?"

"And…that won't bother you?" Jazz said turning her head to Sam.

Sam stared at her for a good moment, catching on what Jazz was saying. She averted her gaze away from Jazz, contemplating on what to say.

"Well…" She looked at Jazz at the corners of her eyes and sighed, "Okay, look, I will say you're not a bad person. BUT, still, I'm not gonna trust you just like that. Just because you joined our group, doesn't mean we're going to be buddies. Sure, we'll make small talk, but that won't change things." Sam then smirked. "Although, I got to say, that was an interesting fact you told me about Danny."

"Oh…um…okay." Jazz said, a little uneasy.

"Listen, no offense, but I don't trust anybody when it comes to Danny's secret. Only Tucker and I hold that kind of trust." Sam said.

"Well…alright." Jazz said a little hurt, lowering her head.

Sam cringed a little for sounding harsh, even though she did meant it. She sighed again, "Alright, look, _maybe_ you'll rub off on me someday. Just…not today." Sam said. _'Sheesh, some goth I am.'_

Jazz raised her head up a bit and smiled. She then said confidently, "I guess that's fine with me." She crossed her arms. "I just hope you won't be jealous that he comes to his sister when he has a problem."

Sam looked at Jazz incredulously and said, "When he comes to you?" Sam paused for a second. "Wait…jealous? Of-of what?" she stuttered and mentally slapped herself for doing so.

Jazz smirked at her knowingly. "I don't know. You tell me."

Sam had a dumbfounded look on her face. She shook her head and said, "Look, I don't know what you're indicating, but-"

"Let me stop you right there." Jazz interrupted, putting a hand up. "You don't fool me, Sam. My brother may be clueless at times when it comes to relationships, but I am sure as heck not. You like him, don't you?"

Sam shushed Jazz. "Shut up!" she whispered frantically. She glanced at the staircase to make sure Danny wasn't coming up. Seeing that he wasn't, she gave out an exasperated sigh, turned to Jazz and glared at her, "Alright, how did you know?" she asked in a quiet tone, annoyed.

"How did I know?" Jazz also said in a quiet tone. "I thought it was pretty obvious by now, hanging out with you guys."

Sam blinked in surprise. She face palmed her forehead and groaned, "Look, you're not going to tell him, are you?" she said, begging a little.

Jazz raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious? I'm not a blabbermouth…well, sometimes, but it was when my brother and I were little. But I should know that this is between you and Danny to settle this situation." Sam looked at her dubiously. Jazz sighed. "Really Sam, I'm not going to tell him. That is between you and him. Trust me, alright?"

Sam shifted her eyes downward to her left, taking into consideration on what Jazz had said. She then gazed back at Jazz. "Alright, but if you even make a crack about it in front of Danny or me while I'm with him, I'm going to make your life a living nightmare. Got it?"

Jazz smiled. "You have my word." she said, raising her hand up in an oath.

Sam smirked. She then stood there for a moment with a curious look on her face.

Jazz noticed her expression and said, "What's wrong?"

"Well, knowing Tucker, he likes to know what's going on when he's not around, so he should have jumped in the conversation already. He hadn't come out of his room."

"Well, maybe he's sleeping?"

"Hmm…"

Sam and Jazz heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Up came Danny, who was carrying his luggage up the flight of steps.

"Hey guys! Man, you will have no- hey, where's Tucker?"

"He went to check the room out without you." Sam said.

"Oh…" Danny thought about what Dick had told him about the room, but he has to tell Sam and Jazz about this first. Besides, his ghost sense would be able to catch anything if something was awry. And he hadn't heard any screams from Tucker yet. "Well, I'll catch up to him later. You know Dick? Heh, sorry, of course you do. Well, guess what? He knows I'm Danny Phantom!"

Sam and Jazz's eyes widen in surprise and blinked at this news.

"Whoa…really?" said Sam in shock and alert.

"How did he know?" Jazz said, not knowing if she can believe this or not.

"Well, I'll explain..." And so he did. Danny explained to Sam and Jazz about Dick's ability called 'the shining', in which he could read minds and have premonitions. He also told them that Dick knew that they knew as well, and wouldn't tell anybody about his secret.

"Wow…well, that's interesting." Jazz said, surely surprised.

"Huh…yeah." Sam mused. She didn't like the fact that Dick went into his mind and found out the easy way, but from what Danny told of him, he sound like he could be somewhat trusted. But there was that thing with the keys… "But why was he so hesitant on giving you and Tucker's room keys then?"

Danny knew this was going to be brought up, so he said, "Um…well, about that, the manager booked a, um…haunted room for both Tucker and I to stay in."

Sam and Jazz widened their eyes once more in shock.

"Now before you two say anything," Danny quickly added, "I'm not going to tell Tucker or Mom and Dad about it."

"What? Why not?" Jazz asked.

"Because Tuck would be a nervous wreak if I tell him. Besides, Dick told me I can take care of the problem if it ever appears, and I don't want Mom or Dad to bother us during our stay. I can take care of it myself, no big deal." Danny assured.

"Well, did he tell you who or what was inside your room?" asked Sam.

Danny shook his head. "Not really. He wasn't sure." He looked to his right at the hall. "How long has Tucker been in the room?"

"Probably ten minutes." Jazz answered.

Sam had a cautious look. "You don't think…"

Danny frowned. "I'm going to make sure. Don't worry, I got it under control. You girls just go to your rooms and unpack." he assured them. He ran down the hall and into the room.

As the girls watched Danny go, Jazz said "Well, at least our room isn't very active…I hope."

* * *

Danny ran to the room with the open door, believing that that was their room. Sure enough, it was marked '217' and he entered it. He went in and looked around the room for Tucker. Nice amenities aside, he didn't see Tucker anywhere. Danny looked to his left and saw a door opened that must lead to the bathroom.

_'He must be in there.'_ he thought as he made his way over there.

* * *

Who wore this fragrance last?

It was wonderful. He couldn't stop breathing it.

He was well aware that he was standing in the bathroom, but for the life of him, he couldn't stop smelling the scent. Tucker felt like he was in a trance of some sort, being lost in his own world, smelling the aroma. Everything around him felt hazy, even incoherent, and yet, he didn't notice that. He just couldn't stop breathing the smell.

Was it something they put in the bathroom to make it smell nice? If it was, then what was it?

"Hey, Tuck!" said a familiar voice.

Tucker abruptly snapped out of it and turned around, seeing that it was Danny.

"Wha?" Tucker said in a daze. Danny was up there already? He wondered just how long he had been in the bathroom.

"Um…what are you doing standing in the middle of the bathroom?" Danny inquired.

Tucker shifted his eyes. "Uh...just enjoying...the nice decorative interior?"

Tucker didn't want to admit he was in here for a long while just because he smelled something outstanding. But…didn't Danny smell it too? He entered the bathroom, but there was no response on how nice it smelled in there.

Actually… the room didn't have the smell anymore. He breathed in through his nose again to find it gone.

What happened? Had it just been his imagination? …No, he knew what he had smelled.

"Oh…" Danny looked around the bathroom. His ghost sense didn't go off, so there weren't any ghosts around. He decided to play along. "Well, it is nice in here. And so is the rest of the suite." he stated.

"Um…yeah." said an unsure sounding Tucker. "Hey, Danny, uh…did you happen to smell anything when you entered here?"

Danny blinked at the question and looked at Tucker weirdly. "Uh…well, did someone forget to flush?"

Tucker shook his head. "No, it was nothing like that. It smelled way nicer."

Danny titled his head in confusion. "It did? What did it smelled like?"

Tucker had a thoughtful look on his face. "It smelled like…something very fresh."

Danny pondered at that. "Maybe it's the cleaning products?" Danny inquired.

Tucker shook his head again. "No, it was fresher than that…"

Danny looked at Tucker as he was pondering. He seemed to be a little troubled by this. He tried to think of something to put him at ease. He didn't know if it was anything ghost related, but he wasn't going to say anything like that to him. "Well, I don't know what it could be, but maybe you let the scent out once you opened the door." he tried to reason.

That seemed to do the trick. Tucker nodded his head, confirming it into his mind. "Yeah…yeah, that could be it. It's probably gone by now." he said, sounding relieved.

Danny looked at him in concern. "Are you alright, Tuck?"

Tucker glanced back at his friend and looked away while putting a hand to his forehead and said, "Y-yeah, I'm fine… maybe I need some sleep or something. It has been a long day."

Danny nodded at that. That much was true; it had been a long trip. Tucker walked out of the bathroom, as did Danny. Tucker put his suitcase on his bed and started to unpack, while Danny gazed around the room a little more. It looked like a normal room…but sometimes looks could be deceiving.

"Yo, Danny. Are _you _okay?" Tucker said in a joking matter.

Danny snapped out of his observance and looked at Tucker. "Oh, um, yeah. I was just looking around the room."

Tucker smirked. "Yeah, pretty sweet, huh? The old charm is really starting to grow on me."

Danny smiled. He might as well unpack too. He'd worry about what kind of ghost – or ghosts - were in their room until it showed itself.

They packed their clothes in the big draws that were next to their beds. Tucker then saw the Fenton Thermos in his suitcase, and raised an eyebrow.

"Um, care to explain?" Tucker said, motioning the thermos.

Danny blinked and looked at where Tucker was pointing. He winced, "Uh…yeah, um…I…brought it just in case?" he said lamely.

Tucker looked at him monotonously. He then sighed, "Alright, whatever. If you want to ghost hunt even when you're on vacation, that's fine with me. Just don't get caught." Tucker stated.

"Hey, I brought it just in case. I'm not going to hunt for ghosts for the rest of the stay!"

Tucker shook his head. "Whatever, dude."

Danny groaned irritably. He continued to unpack his things, until he remembered the information he got from the lobby. He forgot to tell Tucker about it.

"Oh, by the way, Dick knows." Danny said.

Tucker looked up from his suitcase and stared at Danny. "Uh…knows what?"

Danny shrugged. "That I'm Danny Phantom." he said with a smirk.

Tucker's eyes widened. "He does?" he exclaimed.

"Yeah. He read my mind and knew who I was." Danny said nonchalantly.

"…Read your mind?" Tucker was confused.

"Yeah. He has an ability that he calls the 'shining'."

Tucker looked at him strangely. "The…shining?"

"Well, he calls it that. He's pretty much a psychic and has premonitions."

Tucker blinked. "Really? …Wait a minute…you're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"Tuck, why would I be joking around about something like this?" Danny said.

Tucker eyes shot up. "Whoa. Then…Dick _is_ a psychic?"

"From what he told me, yep." Danny smirked.

"Wow…that's…really hardcore."

Danny chuckled. "Yep. And he won't tell anyone about my identity. He gave me his word."

"For real?"

"For real. And I believe he will too." Danny said and smiled in convincement.

"Huh. Well Dick has definitely earned more cool points in my book after hearing that!" Tucker said as he finished unpacking.

As Danny finished unpacking his things as well, he yawned and said, "Well, I'm kinda beat. I'm gonna brush my teeth and go to bed."

"Alright, dude. Same here, except I'm skipping the hygiene part." Tucker said as he plopped down on the bed face first.

Danny shook his head at Tucker. "At least change first." He muttered. He grabbed some pajamas, his toothpaste and toothbrush from his suitcase and made his way to the bathroom.

He entered the bathroom and closed the door. He changed into his pajamas and went over to the sink and mirror, all the while unscrewing his toothpaste and applying it on his toothbrush. He gazed at the mirror and was about to brush his teeth…until he paused.

His eyes widened slightly. He sniffed the air. It smelled…different?

Feeling more alert, he looked around the bathroom. The scent he smelled was…fresh…and clean.

Where was it coming from?

That was when it dawned on him.

'_Wait…could this be the smell Tucker was describing?' _

Danny, with his toothbrush in hand, felt a little bit watchful on his surroundings. He glanced at the toilet, the shower tub, and back at the sink. He shifted his eyes around the room. His ghost sense would've picked up something...

He shook his head roughly and decided to quickly brush his teeth and be off to bed.

If his ghost sense wasn't acting up, then it was probably nothing.

* * *

**You know the drill, made a lot of big changes, blah, blah, blah. **

**I hope my writing isn't mediocre(though it probably is, since I'm a beginner here.), but I just want to make sure you, the readers, are enjoying this. I would REALLY, REALLY love to hear a review from you so I can know if my writing, and the story, is any good. So…pretty please, drop a review? :)**

**Also, again, if this chapter seemed too short, then I'm sorry. Xo**

**And before I forget, I want to thank dragondancer123 for betaing the chapters and story for me! Thanks so much, girl! :D**

**TPOC**


	6. Day 1: A WorryFree Vacation

**Before I begin, I would like to rant about something that really grinds my gears. People who review my story should _leave __a __review_. DO NOT ask me when I'll be able to update a certain story that I _am_ absolutely currently working on with ANOTHER PERSON. It's called a _collaboration_. That means I'm _not _writing it right now. Someone else is. When he finishes that chapter, I'll be able to write the next one.**

… **Although, ****I ****am ****getting ****kind ****of ****worried. ****I ****tried ****to ****PM ****him ****and ****he ****hasn't ****replied. ****He ****has ****a ****lot ****of ****health ****problems(which ****I ****won't ****go ****into) ****and ****I'm ****starting ****to ****wonder ****if ****he's ****sick ****again****…****or ****worse****…**

**I don't want to do this to him, but if worse does come to worse, I might need a replacement. I'm afraid that he might be…well, I don't want to say it, so, um…**

**I mean, just to let you all know, he volunteered to do it when I asked him. I didn't know he had health problems. **

**My writing partner is Kasek. If anyone has heard from him since then, please tell me. I need to know if he's alright.**

**But to all the people who are just going to waste a review box by saying when am I going to update 'The Grand Line Waterbender', PLEASE have patience. AND LEAVE AN ACTUAL REVIEW ABOUT MY STORY. Don't ask(or beg) me to update my other story. That's very rude. I mean, when I see a review in my inbox for this story, I'm like, 'Oh, cool! A review!' But instead, I get someone wanting to know when I'm going to update 'The Grand Line Waterbender'. And that leaves me very disappointed. **

**So yeah, _this _is the part where everything in this story is new. The scenes are different, the dialogue, everything. Now let's move on to the next chapter!**

* * *

**MONDAY**

**11:55 AM**

* * *

It was a slightly sunny day outside.

Danny came out of his room, fully dressed, his key in his jean pocket, and was walking down the hall to the staircase. He complemented in his mind the good night sleep he had in his room last night. Haunted room or not, at least this supposed ghost was nice enough to let them sleep. Danny chuckled at that thought. Tucker woken up before Danny did, so he was probably off somewhere in the hotel with Sam and Jazz.

As he went down the staircase to the lobby, he sees his parents entering the hotel, whilst hauling some high tech ghost equipment on their backs that was stowed from the RV. They looked like backpacks with a vacuum tube and suction attached to it. Danny raised an eyebrow. "Hey Mom, Dad." He greeted them.

Maddie looked up to see her son walk down the steps. "Good morning, sweetie!" she said in a cheerful tone. "How was your sleep?"

Danny yawned. "Pretty good. Did you and Dad get any rest?" he decided to ask.

"We sure did!" said Jack with grin. "Not a peep from any ghost in our room!"

"Cool." Danny smiled lazily. He mentioned the devices. "So, are those the Fenton Ghost Weasels strapped onto your backs**(1)**?"

Jack grinned even wider. "They sure are! These babies are modified and upgraded to have the power suction of three vacuums! Don't worry though, these things won't cause any damage to the hotel. Your mother made sure of that, since she fixed the power of the suction to only affect ghosts!"

At the mention of Jack's praise, Maddie beamed at him. She turned her head to Danny and finished for Jack, "And also, it can now hold up to more than one hundred ghosts! Once we're done catching the ghosts, we'll free them in the Ghost Zone back home…but not until we experiment on one of them first!" Maddie said the last part in a giddy tone.

Danny gulped. He doesn't want to be there in the house when that happens. "Uh, okay. Well, good luck on finding any ghosts."

"Thanks Danny-boy!" said Jack "But right now, I'm feeling a little hungry." He holds his growling stomach. "I'm going to go try out the food here…um, with the help of your mother of course. I can't cook worth squat!" He reminded everyone.

Maddie giggled. "I'll be there in a minute, Jack. Just pick out what you want and I'll cook it for you." She advised him.

"Thanks honey!" Jack smiled and gave her a one arm hug. He walked over and entered the halls to go to the restaurant with the Fenton Ghost Weasel still on his back.

Maddie turned to Danny and walked over to him who was on the lobby floor by now. "Now, I know you wanted some way to contact us when you might find some ghosts walking or floating around here, so, we got you, Jazz and your friends these!" She popped open the fanny pack that was around her hip, and pulled out two familiar ear phones, and some small walkie-talkies.

'_The __Fenton __Phones!' _he thought, refraining himself for saying it out loud.

"These earphones are the Fenton Phones, and these-" she motioned the walkie-talkies. "-are the Fenton Transceivers. If you need to contact us when you see a ghost, you, Jazz, and your friends can communicate through these phones and walkie-talkies." She said with a smile. "Now which one do you want, sweetie? We have the others devices with us, just so you know."

Danny looked down at the equipment in his mothers hands. "Well…which one is Dad's Fenton Phone?"

"The one that has the letter 'J' written on the headphone." Maddie answered.

Danny randomly picked a headphone from his mother's hands and saw the 'J' on the outer part of the phone. "Cool. Okay then. So, about the walkie-talkies…" he motions the color coded transmitters.

"You can pick which one Sam and Tucker would like to contact. The blue one stands for your father, and of course, the pink stands for me." Maddie said brightly.

Danny smiled a small smile. "Well, I guess I'll pick the pink one, since I don't want you to feel left out." He grabbed the pink walkie-talkie out of her hands.

"Alright then!" Maddie beamed. "And just so you know, Jazz, Sam, and Tucker are in the kitchen preparing their lunch. Could you give the rest of this equipment to them?"

"Sure." Danny said simply with a small shrug, as his mom let him carry all the items in his hands.

"Okay then, I guess we're going to eat in just a bit, and then we'll start our hunt after that. You kinds enjoy yourselves around here, alright? Oh, and if you see any ghosts around, don't be frightened. From what Dick told us last night, these ghosts aren't anything to be afraid of. They're all just ghostly apparitions. Meaning all they do is appear and disappear, along with moving things to tell you that they are present." Maddie informed.

Danny smirked. "Sure thing, Mom."

**-oOo-**

**12:00 PM**

**-oOo-**

Maddie and Danny went to the left wing of the hotel to enter the restaurant, where they see Jazz and Sam eating their homemade salads.

"Morning Danny!" Jazz said as she was about to take a bite of her salad.

"Hey Danny! Just in time for lunch." Sam said.

Danny went over to their table while Maddie walked inside the kitchen.

"Hey, are those the Fenton Phones?" Sam inquired, pointing at the devices in Danny's hands.

"Yep." He said as he laid them down on their table. "And these-" he pointed at the walkie-talkies. "-are the 'Fenton Transceivers'." He said as he used quotation marks with his fingers. "The reason why I brought them over to your table is because you'll be communicating with Mom and Dad on two of these speakers, while we communicate with ours. I've already picked Dad's phone, so you get to have Mom's. Which…" he picked up a phone to see the outer part of it has an 'M' written on it. "…is this one. And I picked Mom's walkie-talkie for Tucker and I to use, which is the pink one. So you girls get to have and share the blue walkie-talkie, which is Dad's. Is that alright?" he asked.

"Oh sure Danny, no problem!" Jazz said with a smile.

"Yeah, thanks for telling us." said Sam as she reached for the two communicators.

Danny nodded and smiled. He looked around the area a bit. "Hey, where's Tuck?

"Grilling a steak in the kitchen, believe it or not." Sam said sarcastically.

Danny chuckled. "Alright then."

"So Danny, how did you and Tucker slept last night?" Jazz asked, also indicating on their haunted room problem.

"Pretty well actually. No ghost bothered us while we were sleeping, thank goodness." He stopped to pause. "Although…"

"…What?" Sam asked curiously.

"I did encounter something while in the bathroom…"

"You did? Was it a ghost?" Jazz inquired.

"That's just it. I didn't sense a ghost, but rather I smelled something in there."

"Smelled?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. It was a fresh scent too…" Danny put his hand to his chin and pondered about it.

Jazz and Sam wondered about it as well, as they glanced at each other to see if they were thinking anything about it. Sam then turned her head to Danny and said "Well, I heard sometimes ghosts can conjure up their presence and leave fragrances that they used to have on before they died..."

Danny nodded. "That sounds right. But…still…" He shook his head exasperatedly. "Ah, I'll worry about it later. I mean, I'm on vacation, right?" he shrugged casually.

Jazz smiled. "That's the spirit Danny!"

Sam and Danny looked at her weirdly.

Jazz blinked as she realized what she said. "Oh! Um…sorry, no pun intended. Heh heh…"

Danny smirked while Sam rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm gonna get lunch, or brunch or whatever. See you girls then." Danny said and made his way into the kitchen while half waving at the girls.

* * *

After they've eaten their food, in which Danny and his Mom ate a sandwich, and his Dad ate a bowl of chili, Jack and Maddie soon got to work on finding any ghosts. Jazz went to the reading room to read her books and any other books in the room that would interest her, while Danny and the gang decided to go outside to try out a game of croquet.

"So, does anyone actually know _how_ to play croquet?" Sam asked the two boys as they were walking down the halls to find the closet that would store the croquet equipment.

"Well, I did research some instructions on my PDA on how to play. I think the field is already set up out front of the hotel." Tucker informed.

After two minutes of walking, they found the closet, which was labeled, 'Recreation Equipment' at the far back end of the hall.

"This must be it." stated Danny.

Danny opened the door – it was already open, courtesy of the staff – and the three of them walked inside. It was a big storage closet, as plenty of recreational items were all on shelves, including one of the shelves that occupied a plastic box container filled with croquet balls. The croquet mallets were also on racks on the side of the wall.

"Jackpot!" Tucker said with a grin.

"Okay then Tuck, what are the rules for croquet?" asked Danny.

"Hold on a second." Tucker pulled out his PDA and looked it up. "Let's see…ah! Okay, first you got to choose the color ball you want to play with."

"Alright, sounds simple enough." Sam said as she grabbed the box container and set it on the ground, opening it. Soon, Danny, Sam and Tucker picked their mallets off the racks, choose the colored ball they wanted, and exited out of the storage closet. As they made their way back to the lobby, Tucker pretty much explained the basics on how to play croquet.

As soon they were halfway into the lobby, Danny felt a chill come out of his mouth.

'_Ah __crap__…__'_

Danny stopped in his tracks and looked behind him to scan around the lobby to see if there's anyone there.

Sam and Tucker, who faltered their walking, noticed that Danny wasn't catching up to them.

"Danny?" Sam called out to him.

Danny whirled his head at his two friends, mallet in his hand and the ball in the other. "Uh…yeah?"

Sam and Tucker glanced at each other in consciousness and turned their attention back at Danny with a knowing look. Sam spoke out again in a cautious tone saying, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah dude, did you…um…" Tucker said the last part quietly. "-_sensed _something?"

Danny noticed his friends looking concerned. "Uh…yeah but…" He thought about what he should say to Sam and Tucker, so he could put them at ease. He shook his head with a grin and chuckled. "Hey, look, sorry about that. It's just a habit. No worries though, I'm going to let Mom and Dad handle it, okay?"

Sam and Tucker gave out smiles of relief. "Atta boy, Danny!" responded Tucker. "You're finally learning to relax!"

Danny smiled. He caught up to his friends and exited out the hotel.

An eerie silence left behind them in the lobby…

* * *

Danny and his friends made their way to the croquet field, which is in front of the garden with all the topiary lions. As they passed the walkways into the garden, Danny couldn't help but glanced up at the four life-sized topiary lions that were standing on their high ends, facing away from each other and the garden. It made them look menacing...and life-like. He had to admit; whoever did them did a good job. They soon were at one of the stake and wicket setups in the field.

"Okay! The colors on the stake will show whose ball will go first, determining on which order is at the top of the stake. Whoever has the top color goes first." Tucker instructed.

"Well, I guess that would be me." Sam proclaimed. She put down her blue ball on the grass, readied her position, and focused on the two wickets and the ball. She lightly stroked and hit the ball through the two wickets.

"Wow! Cool first try!" complimented Danny.

Sam smirked. "Thanks!" She turned to Tucker. "I think it's still my turn, is it?"

"Yep." responded Tucker.

So far, they started out slowly in the game but picked up rather quickly later on. Sam was the first player, Danny the second player, and Tucker the third. Sam had apparently been winning so far, going through three wickets, while Tucker only went through two. Danny was having a hard time trying to catch up with them, especially when Sam roughly hit his ball with hers causing it to go out of the field.

"Booyah!" Sam cheered.

"Oh come on! Is that against the rules?" exclaimed Danny exasperatedly.

"Unfortunately for you, it isn't." Tucker smirked.

Danny growled under his breath. He walked over to where his ball was.

"Remember! If it's out of the boundary, put one mallet length inside the border line!" called out Tucker.

"Yeah, yeah…" Danny muttered. He went to get his ball that was sent over a little ways in front of the formal garden, where one of the topiary lions was situated.

'_Man, __what __a__way __to __relax.' _he thought bitterly.

As soon he was about to pick up the ball…

He heard something.

Danny blinked, raising his head up a bit. _'Huh?'_

There was a sound…a sound coming from somewhere. It sounded like…

'_Growling?'_

Danny stood up, glancing around and taking his surroundings. Was there a wild animal nearby? A stray dog?

Danny looked around for the source of the growling. It was a quiet growl from the sound of it, but it seemed to grow gradually louder as he stayed in his exact spot.

Getting a little perturbed, he slowly kneeled down and hesitantly picked up his ball. The growling still proceeded. It was starting to make Danny feel a little uneasy and on edge.

'_What _is _that?'_Danny thought.

Slowly backing away, his eyes shifted from left to right. He tried to make out what kind of growl it was. It sounded like a big animal, almost like…an animal predator…

Danny's eyes widened. It was until then he realized something. He looked up at the one thing that would resemble that type of growl.

"Hey Danny! It's your turn!" Tucker called out in the short distance.

Danny snapped out of his focus on the single topiary lion, which it just stood there in its stance, doing nothing.

Speaking of nothing…it was gone.

The growling…it disappeared.

Danny slightly turned his head towards his friends, who were waiting for him, and then turned his head back to the lion with a confused expression.

'_Was __I__…__imagining __things?'_

"Danny? You okay?" Sam called out as well, a little bothered that Danny wasn't coming back to them.

Danny shook his head to clear his mind, and turned back to them. "Um, yeah, just…thinking." He soon made his way back to his friends with the ball and mallet in his hands.

Sam furrowed her eyebrows in wonder. _'What __was __that __all __about?'_

Tucker, also noticing that Danny was taking his time on coming back over, raised his eyebrow, but thought nothing of it as he thought it wasn't anything to worry over.

But Danny was still in thought, even as he swung his mallet at the ball. Did he really imagine that sound? The sound of a lion growling?

No…it sounded too real.

But that wouldn't make sense. If it was some sort of ghost lion, then his ghost sense would have set off. But even if it did, and if it was a ghost lion, what would a ghost lion be doing out in Colorado? …Unless it was a ghost mountain lion.

Danny furrowed his brows and frown slightly. This is weird. First the sudden random fragrance in his and Tucker's bathroom, and now a suppose growling topiary lion? Why didn't his ghost sense go off?

'_Was __there __an __electronic __speaker __hidden __somewhere __to __make __the __lions __sound __like __they __were __growling?'_ Danny questioned in his mind. _'No, __that __would __just __be __ridiculous. __Besides, __that __sounded __like __a _real _growl, __not __a __false __one.'_

"Okay Danny, you're up!" proclaimed Tucker.

Once again snapping out of his thoughts, he went over to where his ball was and lightly swung it to try to get it into one of the wickets.

Sam watched Danny with pensive eyes. Something happened awhile ago when he went to get his ball. She saw how he was looking around, as if trying to locate something. He was too much in thought right now to be focused on the game. She thought about asking him if anything was wrong once the game was over.

"Well what do ya know! I win!" Tucker said as he did his victory dance. Tucker was of course the victor of the croquet match as Sam went in second, and Danny went in third.

"Yeah, yeah, way to go." Sam said carelessly as she rolled her eyes at Tucker's ridiculous victory dance.

"Good game, Tuck." Danny said with a slight smile.

"Thanks man! At least someone showed some good sportsmanship!" said Tucker as he smirked arrogantly Sam.

"Tch. Whatever." Sam responded.

Danny checked his watch for the time. It read 1:04 PM. "Well, after my grueling defeat, I might as well relax."

Sam turned to him curiously. "Really? It's only been twenty minutes. We can start another game."

Danny shook his head. "Nah. I'm heading back to the hotel. I had fun though." he said, picking up his ball and carrying the mallet back to the hotel. What Sam noticed and found odd was that Danny was going _around_the garden instead of just walking into the cobblestone paths in the garden. Sam raised an eyebrow.

Tucker on the other hand, paid no heed to it. "Well, I guess we can go for another game, if you're _up __to __it_?" he taunted Sam.

Sam just turned her head at Tucker with an irritable look on her face. She then remembered that she was going to ask Danny if anything was bothering him. "Uh, sorry Tuck. Actually, I'm a little worn out from the whole croquet experience myself. I'm probably going to go back in as well." She made her way to the hotel.

Tucker blinked stupidly. "Oh come on guys! Don't leave me hanging!" His words fell on deaf ears. He scowled. "Ah, they're just sore losers."

* * *

"Wait up Danny!"

Danny, who was about to enter the hotel, stopped and turned around to see Sam rushing towards him.

"Um…yeah?" inquired Danny puzzlingly.

Sam walked up to him. She mentally prepared herself as she was about to ask him. "So, uh…are you alright?"

Danny blinked."Um, yeah I am. …Why?"

They both walked inside the hotel. "Well, you seemed to be distracted while we were playing croquet, and I thought…" she sighed, getting straight to the point. "Look, did something bother you when you were retrieving back your ball?"

Danny looked at her in surprise. He then smirked and shook his head. "Nothing gets pass you, does it?"

Sam smirked as well. "So…spill."

Danny sighed and let his mallet leaned against a big comfy lobby chair, while playing with the ball in his hands. "Well…you know those topiary lions?"

Sam raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

"Well, I think…one of them…growled at me…" Danny said, uncertain.

Sam blinked at Danny peculiarly. "One of them…growled at you?"

Danny sighed again, "Yeah, I know, its stupid-"

"No, it's not that. It's just…bizarre."

Danny smirked in relief. He then shifted his amused expression to a serious look on his face. "So…what do you make of that?"

Sam stared at him incredulously. "You're asking _me_?"

Danny shrugged. "Well, you told me that when people die and become ghosts, they leave the fragrances they had on when they were alive."

"Yeah, I did say that…" She put a hand to her chin, thinking. She then answered, "Sorry, no idea."

Danny groaned.

Sam spoke out, "Look Danny, don't worry about it. It probably meant nothing."

"It would mean something if my ghost sense didn't go off." Danny muttered.

"It didn't?" Sam said, surprised.

"No. And I don't know what to make of it."

Sam stood there and thought. She then came with a solution. "Well, why not ask your parents about this growling hedge lion?"

Danny didn't thought of that. And it would be a normal thing for him to ask his parents without raising any suspicion.

"Hmm…you know what? I think I might." He said as he smiled. "Thanks Sam."

Sam smiled back. "No prob, Danny." She then stretched her joints and gave out a yawn. "Well, I might as well put these in their respective places." She said as she motioned the mallet and the ball. "After that, relaxation."

"Care to join you?" Danny smirked.

Sam jumped and blinked as her face was a little flushed.

Realizing what he said, Danny's eyes widened. "U-uh, no! I-I meant just accompanying you with putting up the mallets and-and the balls! Aheh…"

"O-oh! Yeah! Of course! I mean, duh, yeah, I know! Heh…"

They both laughed weakly. As their laughter died down, they cleared their throats and sheepishly looked away form each other.

"…Okay, let's go." Sam managed to say.

"Yeah." replied Danny.

The two teenagers then made their way to the halls to put up their equipment…

* * *

**(1.) I don't remember what the Fenton Weasel looks like, so forgive me if I described it wrong. I haven't seen Danny Phantom in a good while.**

**I'm very sorry for the short chapter, but I thought this would be a good time to stop here for now. Also, very sorry for the wait if this was going to be the outcome of the chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it nonetheless. :(**

**Don't worry though, things will start to get interesting…and spooky! :)**

**Anyways, please leave me a review and tell me what you think so far! **

**And again, if anyone has heard from Kasek, please tell me.**

**EDIT: Just to let you all know, Kasek PMed me back. He's fine, so everything is okay. :)**


	7. Day 1: Nothing Out Of The Ordinary

**Okay, in my old draft of this story, chapter seven was where I stopped the story to re-plan it. So now, since I THINK I got everything planned out, everything should be fine and dandy. :)**

**And just to let you all know, this version of the Overlook Hotel is modeled after the REAL hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, named the Stanley Hotel(which I obviously do not own as well. :P ), which is actually, in fact, haunted. But, never actually having BEEN to the real hotel, I'm sort of making up my own version of the format of the hotel, which I find acceptable, I would think. **

**But yeah, just wanted to give you all that slight info! Now onto the chapter! :D**

* * *

Over at the west region of the hotel, in a room at the left side of a wide hallway, Jazz was in the ample sized reading room, filled with tall bookcases – which were large conjoined custom made bookcases that surrounded half the room – that stored old and new books alike. There were five tables - two pairs on each side of the wall, and one in the middle of the room -, with four comfy chairs each occupying them. Jazz was sitting near the middle, center legged, dark oak table, reading one of her psychology books and has been reading her book contently ever since then, with no distractions or any activity.

Jazz smiled as she was reading her book in quiet solitude. The room was well-lit, and the tables have little lamps on the center to add a classy feel. _'Wow, I'm really getting ahead of this book! This place has a great atmosphere for reading!' _she thought as she noted the cozy feel of the room. _'And best of all, no ghosts are bothering me!' _

Jazz's smile faltered a little. She stopped reading her book and looked around the room to check to see if there was any activity around, anything that looked daunting. After giving the room a quick once-over again – she cautiously looked around when she first entered the room - and seeing that there was no ghostly presence, Jazz was satisfied. She went back to reading her book.

'_Yep. No ghosts bothering me whatsoever.' _She thought in content, a smile back on her face. But then her face turned into a thoughtful frown. _'Hm. Actually, I do hope there are SOME ghosts walking around here. Mom and Dad are getting paid to do this, and from the way Dick was describing, there has to be at least dozens of ghosts in the hotel.' _She mentally shrugged. _'Still, this is nice. No interruptions, no spooks or scares, just quiet, relaxing, reading time.' _She nodded in satisfaction to herself and went back to her book.

_THUMP!_

Jazz jumped in her seat, surprised from the sound. She quickly looked behind her to find the source of the noise.

Near the middle bookcase, was a fallen book. Jazz gazed up to see where the book had been crammed and situated in the shelf.

Jazz scowled. _'Spoke too soon.' _She sighed irritably. _'Well, I could just call Mom and Dad over here to get rid of the problem…' _She furrowed her eyebrows as she remembered something. _'…or, if it's _Danny _that's doing this, then I'll just ignore it for now.' _Jazz then, in a calm but stern tone, said, "Danny, if that's you, I would really think twice than trying to scare me. You do_ know _that Mom and Dad are searching for ghosts right now in the hotel? They could catch you if you're in their sights, you know?"

No answer.

Jazz frowned and then sighed. "Fine. Be that way." She went back to reading her book.

'_I swear, if it is Danny that's doing this, then he needs to learn to grow up.' _Jazz thought with her eyebrows furrowed and her nose scrunched up. But then her expression changed to uncertainty. _'...But what if it _is_ a ghost?'_

_THUMP!_

Jazz jumped in her seat again. She once again looked behind her to see yet another book from one of the middle bookshelves have fallen off.

Jazz stared at the two fallen books in puzzled silence. As she was finished staring, she warily looked around the room once more in to see if anything was in the room. She put her opened book down on the table, and carefully got up from her chair. She slowly advanced onto the books that were on the decorative carpet floor and picked them up one by one. Studying them for a second, she put them back in their respected places in the shelves. Still a little cautious, she backed three steps away from the large, single, conjoined arched bookcase and turned around to walk back to her seat.

She sat back down on the chair, grabbed the edges of her opened book, and continued reading, still a little vigilant.

A minute passed…

The silence was uncomfortable. She tried to keep reading. But it only made the silence worse…

She expected for Danny to come out and appear behind her and give her a cheap scare. That's what she was expecting, at least. But, remembering the possibility that an actual ghost might be present…

Besides, if it _was_ Danny, then he would know better than to scare Jazz and not to reveal himself to their parents…

More nerve-racking silence…

_PLUP!_

Jazz closed her book forcefully, and hurriedly got up from her seat with a dangerous look on her face. She breathed through her nose in irritation and stomped out of the reading room while carrying her book.

'_If Danny planned this, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind when I find him!' _Jazz angrily thought.

* * *

"Well, I hope you have a nice nap." Danny told Sam as they walked out of the recreational storage closet.

"Heh, yeah, here's hoping." Sam joked as she waved at Danny and walked to a set of stairs down the hall.

After watching Sam go, Danny reached into his pocket and pulled out the Fenton Phone that belong to his Dad. He put it in his ear and turned it on to test it out. "Um…Dad?"

He was getting static from the other line, which was odd, due to the fact that the Fenton Phones have crystal-clear reception. Danny tapped the phone, hoping it will clear it up. _'Huh, that's strange. They never did this before...' _

As the static soon went away, he heard his Dad's voice on the other end. _"Danny? Is that you?"_

"Yeah Dad, it's me."

"_Hey Danny-Boy! So, what's the matter? Seen any ghosts, hear any ghosts, ghosts bothering you?"_

Danny smirked and shook his head as he chuckled. His Dad is a real firecracker when it comes to hunting ghosts. "Well, first of all, where are you?"

"_Oh, I'm in the basement, slash, boiler room. I figured that some of these ghosts would be hiding in a dark place, so where else to look than_ _the lower floor?" _

"Fair enough. Did you have any luck finding any ghosts down there?" Danny inquired.

"_Well…not yet. The place here is pretty spooky though, so I would think it's a good start! So, sport, any activity going on where you're at, or did you wanted to talk to your old man a little bit?" _

"Uh…well, I called you because I think I experienced some type of activity…of the sorts…I think."

"_Well alrighty! Where are you now?"_

"In the hall near the recreational closet on the first floor. But it was from outside at the front of the hotel and…well, uh…"

"_Everything okay, Danny?"_

"…Dad, is there such thing as a ghost lion?"

"_A ghost lion! You saw a ghost lion! Good gravy, are you okay!" _Jack exclaimed frantically.

"Whoa! Calm down, I'm fine! I'm just asking if there is such a thing." Actually, Danny already knew that answer about ghost animals, due to that whole ghost dog ordeal back at Amity Park, but he wanted to be absolutely sure if there were a variety in the animal kingdom.

"_Oh! Oh, well of course! There are all kinds of animal ghosts, believe it or not! …So…_did_ you see a ghost lion, Danny?"_

"Um, actually, I didn't say I saw a ghost lion, but rather I…heard one?" Danny said as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"_Heard one? Where did you hear it?"_

"Um…near…one of the topiary lions?" Danny stated awkwardly.

"…_Oh, you mean the garden sculptures? …Wait a minute…are you saying you heard a growl from one of the lion sculptures outside of the hotel?" _

Danny blinked. _'Wow, I didn't think he would catch on that quickly.' _"Uh…yeah?"

"_Wow! Well that's a first! Huh, it might be one of those intelligent ghost lions that possess objects!" _Jack said as he thought.

Danny blinked again in puzzlement. "…Is…that even possible?"

"_Danny, when you've been in the ghost hunting business as long as I have, you see weird things."_

"Um…okay…" Danny though was doubtful. Again, if it _was_ a ghost lion, his ghost sense would go off. But, for obvious reasons, he can't say that to his Dad. So he has to just go with it for now. Danny shook his head. "Well, either way, it's outside. It happened while me, Sam, and Tucker were playing croquet. I went to retrieve my ball near one of the topiary lions and that's when it started…growling at me." he explained to his father.

"_Growling? My goodness Danny, are you sure it didn't harm you?" _Jack's voice said in concern.

"No Dad, it didn't, I'm fine! I mean, it…growled at me for just a second and nothing really happened, so we went back to the game. I don't know, it might just be my imagination." _'I wish I could say that.' _"But…could you…or either Mom go over there and check it out?"

"_Hmm…well, your Mom is off on the second or third floor right now, and you know how focused she gets on her hunts. So I can go outside to investigate!" _Jack reassured.

"Okay, great!" Danny smiled. "It's the one near the croquet court. Or you can check them all if you want to."

"_Alrighty! I'll catch the little bugger, don't you worry Danny!"_

"Thanks Dad. Danny out." Danny turned off the phone and put it in his pocket. Now that that was taken care of, he can see what else he can do in the hotel. And with that, Danny made his way back to the lobby.

As he took a turn to the hall that adjoined the wider hall that has the reading room to the left side and the business room to the right side of that hall, he saw a familiar glimpse of a feminine figure taking a turn to the hall that lead to the lobby. Danny stopped for a second.

'_Jazz? …Huh. She looked like she was in a hurry.' _He shrugged. _'Well, I'm heading to the lobby anyway, so I might as well follow her lead.' _And with that, he kept walking.

* * *

Jazz continued to walk furiously into the lobby. As she went into the lobby, she reached to a sitting area with two chairs, a table, and a couch that was near a window. She sat down on the couch and roughly opened the place where she marked her book, and read from there. Before she began to read her book however, Danny entered the same way Jazz entered into the lobby. Jazz looked up from her book to see her brother walk towards her with a smile. Mistaking the smile as a sign of self-satisfaction, she figured that Danny actually _might _have knocked those books down in the reading room. She narrowed her eyes at Danny.

"Hey Jazz. What're you doing here? I thought you were reading in the library room?" Danny asked as he approached her.

Jazz just stared at him with a glare, in which Danny looked taken aback and raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"Um…did I do something wrong or…something?" Danny asked.

"Gee, I don't know. _Did _you do something wrong, Danny?" Jazz taunted.

Danny blinked. "Huh?"

"Don't play dumb, Danny! You know what you did!" Jazz said as she lowered her book on her lap.

"Wha…? Uh…no Jazz, I don't know what I did." said a confused Danny.

Jazz kept looking at him, but this time she eyed him inquiringly. "Okay then. Where were you four minutes ago?"

Danny frowned. "Oh, now you're going to _interrogate_ me? What did I do?"

"Does pulling and dropping books on the floor ring any bells?"

"No!" Danny said aggravated. Then it struck him as his eyes widened. "Wait, did you encounter activity in the reading room?"

Jazz's irritated expression softened a bit. Danny so far looked like he was telling the truth, from the way he was acting and the way his expression looked. She knew that her brother wasn't a very good liar(except when it comes to fooling their parents, but that was sadly because they were painfully oblivious.), so he might be telling the truth. "Wait a second…so, you _weren't _the one who tried to scare me at the library room?"

"Is that what happened? No, I went outside to play croquet with Sam and Tucker. After we were done playing, me and Sam went to put up our equipment. When I turned around the corner that was when I saw you walk through the hall." Danny confirmed.

Jazz looked at Danny for a moment until she said, "So, you _didn't _try to scare me in the library room?"

"Ugh! No, okay! You think I would be that stupid enough to do that when Mom and Dad are here ghost hunting?"

Now Jazz felt pretty bad for even accusing Danny. She lowered her head in slight shame, and sighed. "Oh Danny, I'm sorry." She got from the couch and hugged her brother.

Danny looked at her strangely while she hugged him. "Um, Jazz, really, it's okay. It's not that big of a deal."

Jazz released the hug, but still had her hands on his shoulders as he looked at him. "But I should have known better. Of course you mess with me sometimes, but I should have known you weren't careless enough to do something like that."

After Jazz said that, Tucker entered the hotel with his mallet and croquet ball. He noticed Jazz putting her hands on Danny's shoulders and raised an eyebrow. Jazz and Danny also noticed Tucker's presence as they turned their heads towards him.

"Uh...I'm not interrupting a brother-sister moment, am I?" said an unsure Tucker.

Before they can even say anything, Jack came into the lobby via the middle foyer with his Fenton Weasel on his back. He took note of his son and daughter's 'bonding moment' and smiled. "Aww, you two! I wish I have a camera with me every time I see you two get along!"

Jazz decided now was a good time to let go of Danny's shoulders and smiled at her Dad. Danny, who looked embarrassed, just lowered and scratched the back of his head. Jack turned his attention to Tucker whom he noticed that he was carrying his croquet equipment. "Hey Tucker! Sorry to say this, but outside is off limits right now! Danny phoned me in saying that there is a ghost lion out there possessing those garden sculptures in the garden!"

Tucker turned to Danny and gave him a wide eyed surprised look. "Really?"

"Wait, really?" Jazz said, also surprised.

"Well…I said something a little different, but…kind of?" Danny said with a shrug.

"Alright then kids!" Jack said with determination. "Wish me luck on this! I want you all to stay in the hotel incase this animal ghost gets too aggressive. Now…" Jack pulled out the Wraith Wrangler that was equipped on his utility belt. "…let's roll!" And with that, Jack exited out of the hotel.

After Jack left, Jazz and Tucker glanced at Danny curiously. Jazz started, saying in worry, "So there's a ghost lion out there?"

"And you left me out there for it to attack me? Dude, what the heck, man?" Tucker said, offended.

"Okay, first off, I don't know for sure if it was a ghost lion, since my ghost sense didn't go off. Second, it was just a topiary lion that got me on edge. It…well, it growled at me. And third, the growling was only for a moment, so I wouldn't think it would cause some sort of threat. "

Jazz and Tucker looked at Danny peculiarly. "Wait, one of the garden sculptures _growled _at you?" said a confused Tucker. Now he knew why Danny was out of it in the game.

"And your ghost sense didn't go off?" questioned Jazz.

"Yeah, but I contacted Dad to let him know and get rid of the problem. He can…probably get the job done." Danny hesitantly informed them.

Jazz looked back at the pane glass double doors to see their Dad in the garden, examining one of the topiary lions with a device he had in his hand. "Well…okay." She said dubiously. She turned back to Danny. "But why didn't your ghost sense go off if you heard some sort of growl from a supposed ghost lion?"

"Yeah, what's up with that?" asked Tucker.

Danny sighed as he put a hand to his head. "I don't know…"

Seeing as it really was bothering her brother, Jazz tried to come up with a solution. "Well, maybe your ghost sense had a delay or something. Does it usually do that?"

Danny, with his hand still on his head, thought about it. Maybe it was a minor setback…but he tried to remember the times it actually happened... "I don't know." He repeated again, unsure. "…Maybe?"

"I go with Jazz's theory. It probably was just a setback." advised Tucker. He hated to see his best friend get bothered.

Danny mulled it over and sighed. "Yeah…that's probably it." He kind of felt at ease now…kind of.

Tucker and Jazz both smiled at Danny's resolve. "Great!" Tucker said. "Well, now that we all have that solved, I'll just put these back in their rightful places." Tucker then walked into the faraway left hall to put up his croquet equipment.

After they watched him go, Jazz turned to Danny with a sympathetic smile. As Danny took note of his sister's expression, he looked at her oddly. "What?"

Jazz put a hand on his shoulder. "Danny, try to relax. Mom and Dad have got it under control, okay?"

Danny blinked and raised his hands up in defense. "Hey, I will, don't worry. I should, however, say the same thing to you."

Jazz gave him a smirk. "Ha ha." She said in a humorous sarcastic tone.

* * *

Jack, with the Fenton Finder in his hand, was scanning one of the topiary lions in the garden to see if the 'ghost lion' was anywhere around. So far though, he hadn't caught anything. He scanned every lion in the garden, only to come out with nothing. He scratched his head in confusion after he scanned the one Danny mentioned. "Huh, well that's strange…" he said to himself. "There seems to be no ghostly presence." Jack gazed at his Fenton Finder to see if he read it right. He put his hand to his chin and thought for a moment. "Surely Danny wasn't pulling my leg?" He shook his head. "No, Danny wouldn't do that…but there's no ghost here…"

Jack looked around to see if he could at least spot a ghost around the field. He saw nothing…

'_Well, maybe if I wait just a bit, it will come out. It probably went into hiding…' _Jack sighed. "And I was ready, too…"

Jack went to one of the benches that was inside the garden and sat on one of them, waiting for any ghostly ghouls to come up.

A minute passed…two minutes…three minutes…

Jack shifted in his seat…

Another three minutes…now five…six…

Even more minutes passed…

Jack pulled up his jumpsuit sleeve and looked at his watch for the time. It had been thirty minutes and still nothing. A slight frown was on his face. This was taking too long…so Jack let out a sigh, got up from the bench and walked back to the hotel.

'_Well that was a bust. Maybe Danny _was_ hearing things. He did say it might have been his imagination.' _

And so Jack entered the hotel, crestfallen.

The four topiary lions stood where they stand, unmoving.

* * *

Thirty minutes earlier, Danny decided to take a nap in his and Tucker's room. Tucker, being the tech geek that he is, decided to go to the business room and to play a little MMORPG gaming on one the computers. Sam was watching TV, while Jazz was reading a book in their room. Maddie and Jack were still hunting for ghosts, but not having so much luck. Thanks to the staff and Dick, however, they have a special key that opens all the rooms to the hotel, so they can inspect the rooms for anything paranormal. But so far, not much activity has been occurring.

**-oOo-**

**3:15 PM**

**-oOo-**

Danny awoke tiredly when he heard a knock on the door. He sluggishly got up from his bed and walked up to the door. He opened it to find Sam standing on the other end.

"Hey Danny." Sam said.

"Oh, hey Sam."

Sam smirked as she noticed Danny disheveled bed-head. "Did I interrupt your beauty sleep?"

Danny blinked and straightened his hair as he chuckled. "No, you have not."

Sam looked over his shoulder to see his untidy bed. "Don't tell me you've been sleeping for two hours?"

"I have?" Danny looked over at the alarm clock to see the time '3:16' on it. "Wow." He turned back to Sam. "In my defense, they have comfy beds here."

Sam scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Well anyways, I came here to get you. Your Mom and Dad are taking a break from ghost hunting, and we were all going to look around the town for a bit. We were even thinking of going out to eat."

"They're taking a break while leaving the hotel with ghosts still roaming around?" Danny said with a confused raised eyebrow. That didn't sound like his parents…

"Actually…they haven't caught any ghosts today, really…" Sam said with a concerned frown.

"They haven't?" Danny said in wide eyed surprised shock. "What about that topiary lion that my Dad was going to check out?"

Sam scratched the back of her head. "He…didn't found anything."

"Really?" Danny said, puzzled.

"Yeah. Even Jazz told your Mom about the library room incident. She found nothing also."

Danny lowered his head in confusion and was in thought. That _can't_ be right. There has to be at least _some_ sort of activity in the hotel. His ghost sense went off twice when he was in the hotel, and he supposedly had some experiences in the bathroom of his room and outside. Plus, Jazz experienced activity in the reading room as well.

Sam noticed that Danny was in deep thought about this, and decided to put in her two cents. "Hey, if you and Jazz experienced things in the hotel, then there's something here. Maybe they're just not coming out right now, or they're having a ghost holiday or something." she said the last line as a joke.

Danny shook his head to clear his mind. "Yeah…yeah, you're probably right. Maybe it's just one of those days that the ghosts here don't appear very often or…whatever. Still, for Mom and Dad's sake, there's gotta be some ghosts around here for them to catch, or their whole ghost search will be for nothing."

Sam pursed her lips as she was in thought as well. She then said, "Well, maybe you can convince these ghosts into coming out. You know, turn into Danny Phantom and ask nicely for them to be caught."

Danny thought about it for a second. "I guess…heck, I'll try anything so as long Mom and Dad could have a field day in catching ghosts."

Sam smirked. "Well aren't you a good son?"

Danny smirked as well. "Believe it or not, I try to be."

Sam snickered and said, "Okay, that's enough talk. They're waiting for you downstairs, so let's get going."

"Sure thing." agreed Danny.

* * *

**Alrighty! Chapter seven done! And I did this whole chapter on my NEW laptop computer that I got on my birthday! Hoorah! 8D**

**I actually can write better with the laptop than I can with the computer in my room(which is kind of messed up right now.), which is probably because I can write in a better setting that's not…well, my room. :P**

**Anywho, I hope this chapter was all good for your liking! Please leave a review! I like to know how I'm doing with this story so far! :) **


	8. Day 1: More Precise Info

**Well, here it is! The new, NEW chapter you've all been waiting for! :D ...Well, I hope. D:**

**Also, giving you all a heads up here; I edited chapters three and four again, this time for the better. So if you see anything different in this chapter thinking that I messed something up and I'm not following along with what I wrote, the edited chapters are there to back me up! 8D If you want to go back and see the changes just for the heck of it, then be my guest! :)**

**And also, there will be another OC in this, but don't worry, this person won't play any particular important part. :p**

**Well, I got nothing else to say, except that I'm glad you are all enjoying this so far! Now onto the chapter! :)**

* * *

Danny and Sam walked down the stairs to find the others waiting for them in the lobby. Jazz and Tucker waited on the chairs while Jack and Maddie(who, of course, still wore their hazmat suits) sat on the couch. Maddie got up first and said to Danny with a smile, "Well, it looks like you had a good nap, sleepy head!"

Danny blush slightly from his mother's teasing, as Sam glanced at him with a smirk.

"Alrighty! Now that the group is all here, I'm ready to see the sights of an old Colorado town!" said an enthusiastic Jack as he got up next.

Danny smiled at his Dad's eagerness. It would seem the lack of ghost catching didn't deter his good mood.

As they all walked out of the hotel, Danny said to his Dad, "I heard you guys didn't caught anything today. I'm sorry to hear that."

Jack turned to his son with a positive smile as they walked to the RV that was parked out front. "Ah, don't worry about it, Danny! If you and Jazz heard things around here, then there's certainly bound to be something paranormal in the hotel!"

Danny smiled and nodded at his Dad's confidence.

As they all climbed into the RV, Jack who was in the driver's seat, turned on the engine and drove around the cul-de-sac road, leaving the five story hotel in the distance.

* * *

Inside the Overlook Hotel, everything was quiet…

The lobby.

The kitchen.

The ballroom.

The basement.

The halls.

Everything fell into an eerie silence…

* * *

The RV cruised along the winding roads of the mountains, with some of the rocky hills surrounding them as they drove. Danny and the gang took in the natural beauty of the mountain fields around them, while seeing some of the animal life occupying them as well. Seeing that they have enough gas in the RV, they decided to sight-see around the landscape of the Rockies to pass the time before heading into town.

After an hour later of sight-seeing, they drove to the small, quaint mountain town that was named Rockerwell**(1)**, and drove down there to the downtown area. They found a large parking lot near the main street part of town and parked their RV in the corner of the lot so they wouldn't block any coming cars.

"Al-_right_! I can't wait to smell that fresh mountain town air and look around!" Jack exclaimed eagerly.

Maddie on the other hand, reminded Jack, "Now Honey, we've drove and explored around the area outside of the town quite a bit, and it's around 4:30ish. We can look around for about thirty minutes, and then we can eat somewhere."

Jack's happy expression dropped. "What? Aww, but why?" he said dejectedly.

Maddie sighed. "Jack, I'm sorry to sound like a drill sergeant, but it would take away a lot of time from our investigation around the hotel if we stay around too long. And add to the fact that it takes fifteen minutes just for us to even get back from there."

Jack sulked. "Aw phooey...well…I guess some other day, then. Work comes first, of course!" he said as he sat up straight and had a look of determination.

Maddie smiled brightly. "Don't worry, Jack. Once we get this job done, we and the kids we'll have all the time to relax!"

As Danny watched his Mom and Dad converse, he reminded himself that he wanted to try and help them out with their ghost hunt in the hotel by turning into Danny Phantom. He didn't know how that would work or turn out, but maybe if he did turn into his ghostly persona, the ghosts would recognize him and, if asked nicely, they would kindly…give themselves in?

He gave himself a mental sigh. Well, it was worth a shot.

Maddie turned to the kids in her seat and said. "Now, I guess you heard, but we're going to look around town for thirty minutes. Since we are on a tight schedule, we're only going to go to _one _store. If any of you find a shop that looks interesting to you, mentally mark that place in your mind to yourself for when we come back this town. First of all though, where would you all like to eat?"

"Well, anything that has veggies, of course." Sam stated.

"You know me; know me for meat." Tucker also stated.

"Doesn't matter to me." Jazz shrugged.

"Hmm…there was this diner in the main street area." Danny suggested.

"Hey, that sounds good to me! Diners always seem to have a variety of food!" Jack said with a grin.

Maddie beamed. "Great idea, Danny! I know just the place you're talking about!" She clapped her hands together. "Alright! Then it's decided! Now let's get a move on!"

They all exited out of the RV and trekked a one minute walk to the main street, walking on the opposite sidewalk of the street to look at the local stores. Some people passing by gave the group strange looks, mostly towards the two hazmat wearing adults.

"Oh! A bookstore!" Jazz pointed in glee to an old conjoined, two-story bookstore building where the display window was displaying new book releases.

"Pfft, Bookworm." Danny muttered with a smirk.

Jazz heard that though and said to him sarcastically with a smirk of her own. "Well okay then, _little brother_, just what are _you _going to do with your free time?"

Danny paused in thought. He then came up with a reply and sighed, "Well, bookstore it is."

"Actually, I wouldn't mind going to a local bookstore. I like to see what kind of horror novels they have." Sam said with a smirk.

"Eh, what the heck. I'll just browse some tech magazines if they have any." Tucker said with a shrug.

Jack put a hand on his chin. "Hmm…I could find some paranormal books that would help me give tips on how to contact and catch ghosts!" Jack said with optimism.

"Dear, I don't think they have those types of books." Maddie informed.

"Well, you never know! Come on, let's go inside, kids!" Jack said with excitement as he rushed into the bookstore.

Danny and the gang, even Maddie, blinked.

"Wow." Maddie said as she turned to her two kids. "That's the first time I ever saw your father rush to a bookstore with joy."

* * *

In the bookstore, the group scattered across the place to look through the aisles of books pertaining their own interests. Sam was looking through the horror section, Tucker was looking through the magazine rack to read a few techie magazines, Jazz was looking through books on medicine and psychology(or just finding a good book to read in general), while Danny browsed at some picture atlases of the Rocky Mountains. Jack was also trying to find books that 'specialized' on how to catch and lure ghosts out of their hiding places, while Maddie was searching on the shelves for any suspense-thriller novels.

"Hmm…this new John Grisham novel looks good…" Maddie muttered as she looked at the back of it to read the summary.

"Hmm… 'How To Catch Ghosts For Dummies'? AHA!" Jack spoke up keenly, startling Maddie, and a few other shoppers. "Eureka! See Maddie, I told you I can find these types of books!"

Maddie gave him a stern look for surprising her and for making a commotion in the bookstore, but nonetheless soften her expression when he saw the happy smile on her husband's face. She chuckled, "Well, good! Maybe we use it so we can speed things up on the investigation in the hotel!"

"Um, excuse me?"

Maddie and Jack turned to the source of the voice to their right to see a casually dressed man in his fifties that was standing next to them, wearing a polo shirt and slacks. He has black hair and is also sporting a short black beard, and carried a look of curiosity on his face.

"Um, sorry to intrude, but…what kind of suits are you those?" the man questioned.

Maddie and Jack blinked looked down at their suits. Jack then looked up at the man and smiled, "Why, these are hazmat suits, good sir!"

The man raised an inquired eyebrow. "Hazmat suits?" He studied them for few seconds. "Uh…well, alright, um…" he cleared his throat, "Is there a…_reason_ you're wearing hazmat suits?" He asked.

"Well that, stranger, is that so we can be prepared for any ghostly attack that comes in our way!" Jack said valiantly.

The man blinked himself. "Ghostly…attacks?"

Maddie decided to step in. "Um, we're not from around here, as you can see. We're from Amity Park, Illinois. We're here along with our kids and two of their friends on a…well, 'sort of' vacation."

"Oh!" the man said, now understanding, although a little bothered by the ghost attack comment earlier. He chuckled, "Well, alright then! I actually drove from Denver to see my sister here in town as well to meet up with the family!"

"Ah, well that's a nice way to spend the Spring Break week!" Jack grinned.

The man also nodded with smile. The man then remembered on what they said about ghost attacks. "Um, I hope you two don't mind me asking this, but…uh, what…do both of you do exactly?"

"Oh, we're ghost hunters! Well, sometimes ghost exterminators, but that's only for when we're facing some nasty ghouls!"

The man's eyes widened. "Really?" he said in surprise.

"Yup!" Jack smiled. "Maddie and I are the best ghost hunters in the town of Amity Park! You wouldn't believe how many ghosts reside there!"

"Really?" the man said again, this time in interest. "Huh…well then, what brings you to Rockerwell then?" he simply asked.

Maddie spoke this time. "Well, we're here for a job to get rid of some ghosts in a hotel far off from the town."

The man eyes widen in realization. "A…hotel?"

"Yup! It's called the Overlook Hotel!" Jack clarified.

For some reason, the man froze…

"The…Overlook? But…wasn't it closed down?" the man said questionably.

"Well, yes, but the new manager opened it up four years ago." Maddie replied.

"Oh…" the man then wondered something. "Where are all of you staying?"

"In the same hotel." Maddie answered.

His expression changed briefly. It seemed to be a look of shock that then quickly faded.

"Oh…" the man said again. "I…thought the exorcist got rid of the ghosts."

"Exorcist?" Jack inquired scratching his head. "The manager did say something about an exorcist cleaning out the hotel." He shrugged. "Well, no offense to the person, but it seems like he didn't do a very good job, because those ghosts are still spooking up the place!"

The man stood there with his hand on his beard, looking quite hesitant.

Maddie noticed his uncertainty and asked, "Sir, are you okay?"

The man snapped out of his thoughts, "Oh, yes, I…I just didn't know the Overlook opened its doors again."

Jack then wondered something. "Hey, wait, you knew about the exorcist cleaning the hotel long ago? How do you know that?"

The man answered with a small grin. "Well, I was the former manager of the hotel."

Maddie and Jack were taken aback in surprise. "Really?" said a shocked Jack.

"So...you're Mr. Gerald Hazeldon?" Maddie asked.

The man blinked, "Um…yes. I've once been the manager for the Overlook for about thirteen years."

"Wow! Well, what do you know? Small world!" Jack laughed as he shook his hand.

Maddie gave a cheerful smile and shook Gerald's hand as well. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Hazeldon!"

Gerald, a little more hesitant, said, "Um…how do you know my name?"

"Oh, well, the recent manager-" Maddie paused, thinking of a nicer way on what Ullman described him. "…Well, he mentioned you, and said that you closed the hotel down because you were cautious about it being run by ghosts."

"Oh! Um…a-alright then!" He said with a grin.

Jack then had a thought. "Hey! You probably experienced some supernatural things in the hotel! You see, we're trying to capture these ghosts and put them back in this place called the 'Ghost Zone', and make the hotel be ghost-free!"

Gerald looked downright confused. "I…I'm sorry, the…Ghost Zone?"

Jack explained, "You know, the place where ghosts go when they don't particularly pass on."

Gerald felt even more confused. "Uh…okay…?"

"It's paranormal science. It's kind of complicated." Maddie stated simply with a sheepish smile.

"Oh! Uh…alright." He said with a understanding smile(even though he was still confused.). He then said, "So you hunt ghosts and exterminate them, huh? That sounds like a stressful job!"

"Well, sometimes." Maddie informed. "We fight a lot spirits by using our own gadgets."

"Gadgets, you say?" Gerald raised his eyebrows in astonishment. "My goodness, what kind of ghosts do you two fight?"

Jack laughed. "Oh, well, we could go on with how many ghosts we fought-"

"But we won't." Maddie intervene, making Jack look hurt. Maddie turned to her husband and said, "I'm sorry Honey, and no offense, but we're on a schedule, so I don't think now's the best time to be telling Mr. Hazeldon about our encounters."

Jack sadly pouted a little, and muttered, "Okay." Jack then remembered what he was going to ask Gerald. His eyes lit up happily and turned to Maddie, "Oh hey Maddie! We can ask Gerald about his experiences and what kind of ghosts are in the hotel! You know, give us some info!"

Maddie blinked in surprise at her husband's idea and smiled, "That sounds like a great idea!" She turned to Gerald, "You wouldn't mind if we asked a few questions about your time and experiences in the hotel, would you?"

Gerald, who stood there, flabbergasted, said, "W-well, I, uh…okay…"

Maddie understood the sudden interrogation, so she said, "Oh, we're sorry. It's just that the new manager of the hotel just gave us minor details, and since you worked there the longest, we thought you give us more info."

"Tch, yeah! That stuck-up tightwad just acted like we were crazy, and said that he didn't believe in ghosts! I mean, sure, hunting ghosts is not an everyday job, but if it's to keep them out of haunted homes, buildings, AND hotels, then that's the job I want to do!" Jack argued.

Gerald looked at them. "Uh…" He studied them a bit. Even though their talk about ghosts was a little bizarre, they looked like nice people. And if the Overlook _has _opened their doors again, and if they're _still _ghosts residing in the hotel…

He mentally shook his thoughts. He _did _believe there were ghosts in the Overlook, but…

"Well, since we're talking about ghosts, I guess can tell you a little bit of what kind of activity that happened while I was there, and the people that…died." He said that last line a little hesitantly.

Maddie noticed this, and assured him, "Mr. Hazeldon, if you don't want to talk about certain things while you were there, then it's totally understandable."

"Oh, no! It's not that!" Gerald quickly said to them, "It's just…" he looked around to see if anyone was listening. "Um…look, maybe we should go upstairs. Is that alright?"

Jack and Maddie blinked and glanced at each other before turning their gaze at Gerald. "Well, okay…" Maddie said.

And so they followed Gerald to a staircase that led up to the second floor.

Little do they know, someone was listening in…

* * *

Tucker was reading his a tech magazine in peace when Danny rushed up to him, surprising him in the process.

"AH! Dude, Danny, what the-" but Tucker didn't finished his sentence when Danny shoved a Rocky Mountain atlas in his hands. "Uh…wha-"

"Hold onto that. I'll be back in few minutes." And with that, Danny rushed to where the staircase was.

Tucker just looked at the retreating Danny dumbly and gazed at the atlas in his hands. Sam and Jazz walked up to Tucker, seeing just in time Danny giving him the atlas.

"Where was Danny going?" Sam questioned.

"How should I know? He just up and shoved this into my hands!" He looked at it for a second. "'Rocky Mountain Atlas'? …And he's entrusting me with this? He could just get another one. I mean, it's an atlas, no one's going to steal it."

"You'd be surprised at what people steal nowadays." informed Jazz.

Sam turned to the direction where Danny ran to. She sighed. Whatever got him in such hurry, she hopes he doesn't get caught.

* * *

Danny made sure no one saw him when he turned invisible. He walked up the stairs in ghost form, making sure to be as quiet as he can. Thankfully no one was up there except for them(it wasn't that big of a crowd.).

When he was trying to locate where his Mom and Dad were through the book aisles, he saw them conversing about ghosts to a man he has never seen before. A little curious, he sneaked into a side of an aisle that was close to them and hid behind it, going invisible while he was at it. He heard that the man used to be the former manager of the Overlook Hotel. Intrigued, he listened in. It would seem that the man, named Gerald Hazeldon, had ghostly experiences in the hotel as well. Danny also learned that it once closed down.

'_It closed down?' _he thought curiously as he heard Gerald mention that. _'I wonder what happened?' _He wouldn't think it was the ghosts that caused it to close down. In fact, in some cases, he thought it would raise visitors because it was haunted. Some people are weird like that. So that wouldn't be the cause…

…Would it?

He kept following them until he saw them sitting over at a reading/sitting area. Still intangible, he went behind a bookcase near the area, and stuck his head through it to listen in carefully.

* * *

Maddie and Jack sat across from each other on two of the four seats in the area while they gazed at Gerald who sat on the chair semi between them(a table was in the middle.).

"Well…what would you two like to know?" Gerald started.

Maddie was first to say, "Well, we like to hear your story."

Gerald sat there for a bit, thinking on what to say…

He sighed, lowering his head on his hand, "I really wanted to leave all of this behind me…"

Jack and Maddie blinked and glanced at each other. Jack turned his gaze to the former manager of the hotel and said, "We just wanted to know if there were any ghosts there. I mean, from what we heard from our son and daughter, there seem to be some spirits in there."

Gerald looked up at the Fentons. He sighed again, "Well, there _are _ghosts in the hotel. But I've never seen any of them."

"You haven't?" inquired a taken aback Maddie. Jack raised an eyebrow as well.

"Not really. All I hear in the hotel is just voices and footsteps. I've never even seen _one_."

Jack and Maddie looked at each other in concerned wonder. "Well we're trying to catch some of these ghosts so that the people who work there will be at ease." Jack assured him.

Gerald nodded his head. "Very understandable…" He put his fore finger and thumb and pinched the bridge of his nose and blew out a sigh once more as he went on to say, "Look, what I meant by 'wanting to leave this all behind me', is…well, I was…_really _anxious at working there, what with all the random certain noises coming around from each direction." He stated.

Maddie nodded. "That is _also_ very understandable."

"Absolutely! Say, how long did you work there again?" Jack questioned.

"Um, around thirteen years." Gerald informed.

"Thirteen years? Wow, you must be one brave guy to put up with all that!" Jack complimented him with a grin.

Gerald chuckled, "I guess…"

Maddie decided now was to ask the big question. "Now, I'm sorry to rush you with this, but…could you tell us…well, _some _info on the people who died there?"

Gerald sat still. He lowered his head in thought. He looked up at them and said, "Well…the people that died there…um…" He bit his thumbnail anxiously. After a few seconds he said, "Look, just to let you all know, the people that died in the hotel didn't die of anything supernatural."

Maddie and Jack widened their eyes and raised their eyebrows in a peculiar matter. Maddie was first to say, "Um…we know. The manager told us about the Casey Harold incident-"

"Oh dear…poor Casey..." Gerald interrupted with a shake of his head in pity.

"You remembered that incident?" asked Maddie.

"How could I? All those…bodies…" Gerald shivered.

Maddie nodded. "Yes, we…thought that was terrible too." Jack also nodded.

"I mean, the poor guy just lost his girlfriend, got depressed, drank…"Gerald shook his head to clear out the image.

Maddie and Jack felt uncomfortable for letting Gerald remember the past, because they have more questions to ask him, but they didn't want to rush him.

Once Gerald shook the memory off, he said, "Most of the deaths in the hotel are either related of having too much medication or depression, which leads…" he grunted, "Again, it wasn't anything supernatural, they just have problems, even before they had stayed or worked in the hotel."

Jack nodded in understanding, not speculating anything that would relate to a ghost. Maddie watched him with consideration.

Gerald sighed again what seem like the umpteenth time. "Listen, no offense, but I came here to get a gift for my nephew for his birthday, so while I appreciate what you're trying to do, which is…um, 'cleaning' the place out, I have to get going."

"Wait a minute!" Maddie spoke out.

Gerald was about to sit up but stop midway.

"Was…there a _reason _why you closed the hotel that year in 1990? Did the guests have a…ghostly encounter or…something of the sort?" Maddie asked warily.

Gerald bit his lower lip. He slowly sat back down, and sat there for likely at least ten seconds.

He then finally said, "It was the start of winter, and the Overlook desperately needed a caretaker for that particular season. So I…hired someone, from out of state. I don't particularly remember which state, probably Kansas, it's been too long, but he a-" Gerald seemed to pause there for a second, until continuing, "…he traveled far from there. …His name was Delbert Grady. He seem like he could handle the job…he had good records and references, but he…drinks…not a lot, but...he still drinks, from time to time…and like I said, it would seem like he would get the job done. …Until a very terrible snowstorm hit, covering the hotel with snow…"

Maddie and Jack gazed at him to continue further, probably knowing what he will say next.

"…He had cabin fever, of course. Being stuck in a big place covered in snow can cause that...I don't know the specifics, but I would suspect that he panicked and started drinking. He went insane from cabin fever and…"

Maddie looked as if she was catching on, as was Jack, growing up in a cabin himself.

"…he grabbed a shotgun that was used for sport hunting and he shot himself, blowing his brains out."

Maddie made a small gasp, her hand covering her mouth. Jack made a shock grimaced face.

"Again, I don't think it's supernatural. The police authorities investigated Delbert's body at his autopsy and founded alcohol in his bloodstream. So he WAS drunk at the time. Mixed that with cabin fever…" Gerald stopped there.

"Oh my goodness…" Maddie said in a stunned tone.

"My word…" Jack said, shaking the image out of his head.

They sat all there for a while, letting it all sink in.

Gerald continued, "I closed it because I was paranoid. I got an exorcist to clean out any paranormal activity in there, but when I think about it, and the proof the authorities gave me, I overreacted. But it was already too late. That, and I didn't really want to go back there. Not just because of the ghosts, but…you know, going back there just got me anxious. And like I said before, these ghosts aren't harmful in any way. It's just that...after what happened to most of the guests, especially to Casey and Delbert...I just didn't want to experience those type of incidents ever again."

Maddie and Jack gave him understanding nods.

"I wouldn't think so." Jack said.

Maddie cleared her throat. "Well…this seems to lengthen our knowledge of the hotel of the people who died there." Maddie said in thought. She then said to Gerald, "I think that's all the info we need, Mr. Hazeldon. Thank you for your time."

Gerald let out a sober smile. "Oh, no problem. Maybe the hotel will be more peaceful when you take them to the other side, or to this 'Ghost Zone' as you two called it."

Maddie and Jack nodded gratefully and each of them shook his hand. After they all got up from their seats and Gerald left the area, Maddie stopped Jack for a moment and said, "Jack, just so you know, we are not, repeat, _NOT_ going to tell this information to the kids."

"What? Why?" Jack asked in confusion.

"Because dear, we don't want to make them feel uncomfortable during their stay. It's a blessing that you didn't tell them about that Casey incident today." Maddie informed.

Jack looked thoughtful. He then said, "Well…okay. I can see why the kids don't need to know about those types of things right now. But is it okay if I tell them after we stayed our welcome at the hotel and catch all these ghosts?"

Maddie rolled her eyes in amusing manner with a smile. "Okay Jack, I'll let you tell them after this whole vacation is over."

* * *

Danny, still intangible, had to quickly phase through the second floor before his parents came downstairs.

Making sure no one was looking(the store _was_ kind of empty today.), he hid behind a bookcase and went into his human state. He then ran to the magazine rack where Tucker, Sam and Jazz are looking through certain magazines.

Tucker was the first to speak to him. "So, you found what you were looking for? By the way, here's your atlas." He handed him the atlas to Danny.

He took it from Tucker and said, "Um…yeah…" he had a hesitant look on his face.

Jazz noticed his expression first and said, "You okay, Danny?"

He shook his head to clear his head. "Actually, I learned a few things about some possible residents of the hotel."

Sam was the next to talk. "_Possible_ residents? What do you mean by that?" she said curiously.

Danny looked back to see his parents walking towards them and said to his friends and sister, "I'll tell you when we all go back at the hotel without Mom or Dad present."

"Alright, kids!" Maddie says as she and Jack came up to them. "If you got something you want to get, now's a good time, because we're leaving pretty soon."

"I'm getting this." Danny showed them this Rocky Mountain atlas.

"Techie magazine for me!" Tucker confirmed.

"I'm getting this cool new novel about a teenage werewolf." Sam said simply.

"A brain puzzling novel for me." Jazz said.

"Well, good! You father's got what he wants, and so do I! Now let's go get something to eat!"

* * *

After they purchase their books, they went to eat at the diner Danny suggested, which, of course, took their meals thirty minutes to prepare, and it did take them approximately thirty minutes to browse in the bookstore before. Other than that, they enjoyed their brief visit to the town of Rockerwell, and are driving back to the Overlook.

Of course, Danny had other things on his mind. After hearing those tragic deaths in the Overlook from the former manager, he didn't know what to think. The man named Gerald wasn't specific with this Casey Harold character's death, but this Delbert Grady person sounded like he could be a possible spirit in the hotel. He might need to ask Dick about some of these people that died there.

Speaking of spirits… "So, when are you guys going back to searching ghosts again?"

Jack answered, "Like we said before, Danny-boy, as soon as we get back to the hotel. We'll probably search for them for at least two more hours, and then go to bed around eight. Your mother and I will wake up real early just so we can an early start! Like they say, the early ghost catches the worm!" he said with a grin.

Maddie looked at Jack weirdly. "Um, Jack dear, that's not how you use that analogy."

Danny tuned them out and looked out his window at the mountain countryside. _'Well, this will definitely be an interesting stay to say at the least…'_

* * *

**-oOo-**

**6:09 PM**

**-oOo-**

They parked their RV in front of the hotel and entered the lobby of the Overlook, with Danny carrying their book purchases(Maddie and Jack already got theirs out) all in one bag.

Jack turned to face the kids and informed them, "Okay kids, the wife and I are going to get our equipment out to see if we can try again finding any ghosts! Remember that you have communicational devices so you can contact us anytime when you see a ghost!"

The kids reply with a 'Gotcha' and 'Sure thing'. Jack and Maddie went outside back to their RV to get their ghost hunting equipment out again.

When they were gone, the gang turned to Danny. "So, what were you saying about these _possible _residents?" Sam asked inquiringly.

Danny sighed, "I think we should go to yours and Jazz's room to talk about it."

"Their room? Uh, no offense, but why their room?"Tucker asked.

Jazz quickly said, "Well, it's more farther from downstairs from where Mom and Dad are working, and…" she paused. "…you know, just because…"

Tucker looked at her oddly and at Danny and Sam. He just shrugged and said, "Okay, fine by me."

As they walked to the stairs, Danny mouthed a 'Thank you' to Jazz. Jazz mouthed him a 'No problem'.

As they climbed and reached up to the second floor, with Danny treading behind them with the purchase bag in hand, his ghost sense went off again for the third time, the cool breeze coming out of his mouth, causing him to stop for the moment with a frown on his face.

'_Oh, come on! _Now_?' _he thought aggravatingly. He looked behind him to see the downward stairs, only to see nothing.

Danny scowled. _'Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Either someone shows up, or I'm going to go look for them myself!'_

"Danny?" said a questioning Sam as she and the rest of them were on the second floor, while Danny was halfway there.

"Sorry, coming." said a wary Danny, keeping a brief eye on his surroundings.

They walked towards the hall and entered the girl's hotel room, closing the door behind them.

And once again, the halls were silent.

* * *

**[1] Yes, I made a town up, IS THAT OKAY! :U**

**I hope I didn't rush this a bit. And I know the pacing is slow, but don't worry! Things will get interesting than they already are, let me tell you! Just you wait! :) **

**Also, just so the fans of the book know, I didn't leave anything out from Delbert Grady's part. Oh, **_**don't**_** worry…THEY'LL appear…. (insert maniacal laughter) XD**

**But anywho, I hope this chapter was worth the wait! :D**

**Tell me how I did with a review! I honestly want to know if I did alright here. :) **


	9. Day 2: Investigating

**-oOo-**

**6:18 PM**

**-oOo-**

After Danny told Sam, Tucker, and Jazz about some of the unsettling deaths in the hotel, they all sat on the opposite sides of the girl's beds in wonder.

Tucker was the first to speak. "Well…this is news I wouldn't have wanted to hear."

Jazz was second to speak. "Wow…" she said softly. "So we don't know much about this Casey Harold guy, except that he lost his girlfriend, drank, and did something to make him commit homicide, but we _do_ know that this Delbert Grady person had cabin fever while he was the winter caretaker here."

"_And_ he also drank." Tucker added.

Sam sat there with her arms crossed and her head lowered, eyes narrowed on the floor in thought.

"Sam?" Danny spoke to her curiously.

She lifted her head up. "Hm?"

"What do you think? Possible residents, or not?" Danny asked.

She blinked at him and said in an aggravated tone, "Why does everyone think that I'm an expert when it comes to people who are dead? I'm a goth, not a psychic!"

Danny raised his hands up in defense. "Whoa, sorry Sam, I'm just asking!"

Sam sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I was just thinking…"

"About what?" Tucker said who was next to Danny.

"Well…" she sighed again. "I was just hoping these deaths didn't have anything to do with the ghosts that inhabit the hotel…"

Danny could tell she was uncertain, so he decided to put her at ease. "Hey, from what the past manager said, this Delbert Grady's death sounded pretty believable. I mean, being stuck in a big place like this surrounded by snow all alone can get to someone." Danny then frowned and looked thoughtful.

"What is it, Danny?" Sam asked.

"Hm…I'm wondering if the former manager said anything to Delbert about there being ghosts here." Danny pondered out loud.

Jazz put a hand to her chin in thought. She then said, "There could be the possibility that he didn't."

"I don't know, I think I might have to disagree with that." Sam speculated next to Jazz. "The former manager HAD to at least tell him something about the hotel if he was going to stay there for the winter."

"Well maybe that's what fueled his cabin fever even more." assumed Tucker. "Probably from hearing footsteps and voices from all the ghosts around here. I mean, cabin fever mixed with paranoia can get a guy a little more anxious and crazy."

Danny thought for a moment until sighing, "Well either way, we have to keep a look out for any spirits in the hotel by the name of Casey and Delbert. Not tonight though, Mom and Dad are surely doing their job right now."

"Whoa, whoa, _we_? I'm here to relax on vacation, not hunt for ghosts." Tucker objected.

"Really? Well, that's ironic, considering that we're staying in a haunted hotel." Sam said sardonically with a smirk.

Tucker scowled. "You know what I mean!"

Danny chuckled. "Well, depending on Mom and Dad doing their work all around the hotel, I'll probably watch some TV and go to bed early." He made a face. "We really need some staff soon. It's just not fun with all of us here with no service."

"Hey, I've been pampered enough at home, so this is fine with me." Sam simply stated.

Tucker scoffed. "Whatever. I'm just going to surf on my PDA in our room."

"Well, I'm going to read my novel for the time being." stated Jazz.

"Me too." Sam also said.

"Alright, then it's settled. See you girls tomorrow!" Danny and Tucker got up from the bed and waved them off while walking out of their room.

And so, everyone has done all of their things for the time being, and have all gone to bed, waiting for the next day to come…

* * *

**TUESDAY**

**11:35 AM**

* * *

Danny, deciding to wake up, got up groggily from his bed, bed-head and all, and looked around their room, the natural light of the day emitting into the place. He glanced over to Tucker's bed, who was still sound asleep.

Danny shook his head at Tucker's laziness(even though he wasn't one to talk) and got up from his bed. He gathered his clothes from the drawers next to his bed, and went into the bathroom to get changed.

Turning on the lights in the bathroom, he entered the room…

…Only to smell that aroma again.

Danny's eyes widened.

'_That smell…it's back again.' _thought Danny.

Danny froze, standing in the door frame, the light of the bathroom lighting up half of their room.

Danny looked down at the clothes in his hands, and back at the bathroom. Now Danny could really handle himself when it came to ghosts, so he wasn't absolutely worried on staying in the active room, but he was about to get dressed…alone…where a ghost might be in right now, making him feel pretty awkward and uncomfortable.

Danny then heard a grunt from behind him, making him snap out of his thoughts. He looked behind him to see Tucker eventually waking up and sitting up from his bed.

Tucker rubbed his eyes to get the sleep out of them, and glanced at Danny, who looked like he was just standing there. "Uh, morning Danny…what're you doing over there?"

"Um…" Danny couldn't tell him about the fragrance he just smelled-

…Wait a minute…

Danny blinked and turned his attention to the bathroom. It was gone…

"Danny?"

He turned back to Tucker and quickly thought of an excuse. "Oh, nothing. You kind of…surprised me…" he finished lamely.

Tucker gave him a strange look. "I did? …Um…okay…sorry…"

Danny mentally face palmed at how ridiculous that excuse was. "Um, don't worry about it. I'm just going to go change now." He went to the bathroom and closed the door.

He paused for the moment. He observed the bathroom to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary…

He decided to make it quick before the aroma comes back and brush his teeth first, so put his clothes on the floor, opened the medicine cabinet above the black marble sink to get his toothpaste out and closed it, all the while grabbing his toothbrush on the sink.

After brushing his teeth, he washed the bristles of his toothbrush, set it aside on the sink, screwed the cap on his toothpaste, and opened the medicine cabinet to put it inside…

Danny put his toothpaste in the middle shelve…

Something caught his eye on the top right corner shelf of the cabinet.

Danny eyes slowly traveled to the right corner of the top shelf to find…

…A thin, tiny slide out amenity safety razor.

Danny blinked. He raised an eyebrow irregularly in curiosity. _'Have those always been there?'_

He stared at them for a couple of seconds…

He slowly closed the cabinet door…and slowly opened it again…

Danny let a small gasp.

They weren't there anymore. The tiny, thin amenity razor…it was gone.

Baffled, he closed the medicine cabinet door again.

He stood there in silence, wondering what had just occurred.

Danny shook his head, and decided now was the time to change into his clothes. Quickly, before more odd things started to happen.

* * *

As Danny exited out of the bathroom, fully dressed and was done on what he had to do, he sees Tucker already awake, sitting in one of the furnished chairs watching the flat screen television that was mounted on the wall. It would seem he was watching the Weather Channel.

Danny glanced at the flat screen and said to Tucker, "So what's the weather like today?"

"Well, it says it will be a sunny one, but believe it or not, it will get a little colder for the next few days, and there will be some possible snow on Friday." Tucker advised.

"Snow?" Danny said in puzzlement. "But it's spring."

"Hey, we're pretty up north. It's pretty much expected that we would have some snow over here in this part of the area. That or blame global warming." Tucker informed.

Danny just gave Tucker a peculiar raised eyebrow look and just shook his head and sighed. "Well, I'm going to go check up on the ghost situation with Mom and Dad. See ya then." He was about to leave, almost to the door, when he paused, remembering about leaving Tucker in here in their room all alone…

"Uh…will you be coming down soon?" Danny asked suddenly.

Tucker glanced back, "Yeah, in a little while. You know, brush my teeth, get dressed, and that's it." He said with a smile.

"Oh okay…well, um, again, see you until then." Danny said, opening the door and letting himself out.

* * *

Danny walked through the second floor halls to find a closer staircase to the first floor since he wanted to explore the hotel a little bit. After taking several turns in the halls and walking to the east wing, he found a corner staircase. He strolled down the stairs to the first floor and walked through the east side of the hall. To his left of the hall there were a few cushioned benches against the wall, while on the right there were two grand opened entrances(with two gold framed event boards nailed on each side of the entrances.) that led into the grand ballroom. Danny walked into the first entrance to observe that it was of immense space, perfect for meetings and events. He noticed that a wide performing stage for announcements and concerts was in the far back of the room. The ballroom was quite an impressive sight for the old hotel.

'_Obviously this is where they host the parties.' _Danny thought.

_Beep, beep, beep, beep!_

Startled, Danny turned his attention to the second ballroom's open doors to see his father dash in, Fenton Finder in hand and updated Fenton Weasel strapped on his back, rushing to Danny's position.

"Aha!" Jack looked up to expect to see a ghost in front of him, but only to find Danny standing there. He frowned. "Aww, what is WRONG with this thing?" Jack said in aggravation, hitting aside the Fenton Finder with his hand.

"Um…still trying to find those ghosts, Dad?" asked a half nervous Danny. Thank goodness his Dad is still oblivious.

Jack sighed. "Moring Danny-Boy. Yep, still searching. Good news though, I've tracked down a ghost! I've been following it all morning!" he finished excitedly.

Danny smiled at the good news. "Well that's good to know! Where were you tracking it?"

"Well, so far, I was tracking it in the halls, but the little ecto-bugger just keeps running away. I followed it around the second, third, fourth, and even the fifth floor! Little ghoul gave me a workout! It disappeared when I reached the fifth level, so I went back to square one. Then, another ghost appeared on the radar when I came down here and…well…" Jack looked at the Fenton Finder and hit it a few more times. "It still mistakes you as a ghost…darn thing."

Jack glanced up at Danny. "So what are you doing here, Sport? Just lookin' around the place?"

"Um, yeah, you know, just…looking around the ballroom." Danny said nonchalantly as best as he can.

Jack chuckled. "Yep, this place certainly is a beauty!" Jack then came up with an idea and smiled. "Hey, Danny! I just had an idea! How about you help your old man out with this stuff? I know your mother said not to let you kids be involved with ghost hunting, but to tell you the truth, I might need all the help I can get!"

Danny blinked. "Really? Uh…" He remembered that he wanted to try to help out his parents on catching ghosts so they can get paid, and try to at least get some staff here for when they do catch some ghosts, but he wanted to do it alone when no one was watching or looking, or when they were done for the day.

He really did thought about it. Maybe he _could_ help his Dad with catching ghosts, but he has to do it far away, or be on another floor so the Fenton Finder won't track him. Maybe he could use their equipment instead of turning into Danny Phantom.

It could be risky, but he has to help his parent's job. He has to be extra careful too…

Jack noticed the hesitation on Danny and said solemnly, "I mean, if you don't want to, that's fine, it was really just an offer-"

"Actually, that sounds okay." Danny said with a smile.

Jack jumped in surprise. "Wha? You mean you'll really help me out?"

"Sure. Why not?" Danny shrugged, the same smile still on his face.

Jack also had a big grin. "Well, great!"

_Guuuurrrgggleee…_

Danny and his father both froze.

"…Right after we eat something. I haven't eaten breakfast at all this morning. I've been too hype up to catch some ghosts!" Jack hold onto his growling stomach.

Danny chuckled. "Well, let's hit the restaurant then."

* * *

**-oOo-**

**11:50 AM**

**-oOo-**

After navigating through the mazes that were the halls, Danny and his father were now at the west wing of the hotel to where the restaurant is(named Watson's). Apparently, Jazz, Sam, Tucker and Maddie were there at one of the tables eating their meals.

"Morning Danny!" Maddie happily greeted her son with a smile.

The others also gave their morning greetings to Danny as well.

Danny returned their greetings as he and Jack went into the kitchen and made themselves some good quality sandwiches. They went back to the restaurant area to sit at the table where the others were eating.

"So did you guys hear about the cold front coming in the next few days?" Jazz informed the two.

"Yeah. From what Tucker had told us, we'll be expecting snow here around Friday." Sam said.

"Really? But it's spring!" Jack said in bafflement.

Danny blinked at his Dad. "That's what I said."

"Well, sometime's it snows in Colorado even when it is spring, dear. We are still up north. That, or its global warming." Maddie confirmed.

Now Tucker blinked and looked at Maddie weirdly and said, "Hey, I said that also…"

"Really?" Maddie blinked then giggled. "Well isn't that just the most hilarious of coincidences? We must share the same brain!" she said teasingly as she giggled some more.

Danny sighed in embarrassment while shaking his head at his Mom's joke, while Tucker blushed a bit.

Sam cleared her throat. "Anyways, didn't the forecast say that the snowfall would hit around late Friday morning?" she asked Tucker.

Tucker shook his head to clear his mind. "Um, yeah, that's what they said. Although, they said it was more of a snowstorm instead of a snowfall."

"Really?" Danny inquired interestingly with wide eyes. Jazz and Sam looked interested as well.

"Snowstorm?" questioned Jazz.

"Yeah, but hey, we're leaving Sunday morning, right?" He paused a second. "Say, when _do_ we leave?"

"Well, just around that time, basically! We leave at the exact time we did when we left Amity Park!" Jack proclaimed.

"Well I just hope the snowstorm won't be too bad." Danny thought out loud as he took a bite of his sandwich.

The others thought the same thing.

* * *

When they have finished eating their meals, they all went to the kitchen to put up their plates. Danny and Jack were first to enter the kitchen, followed by Maddie and the gang, and rinsed out their plates in the sink. Before putting them up, Jack put a hand on his son's shoulder and whispered into his ear, quietly enough so that Maddie's acute hearing wouldn't hear him. "Okay Danny-Boy! Meet me out at the RV so you can get yourself better equipped, and then follow me to the basement."

"Uh, sure." Danny agreed quietly.

As Danny, Jack, and the rest of them finished putting up their plates, they exited out of the kitchen.

"Well, gotta get back to work! A ghost hunter's job is never done!" Jack proclaimed.

"I'm, uh…gonna browse for a while…" Danny said, trying to think up the best lie that he could.

"Cool. Do you want us to browse with you?" Tucker said as he motioned him and Sam.

"Hey, how come I don't get to browse with you guys?" Jazz said, offended.

Danny, Tucker, and Sam looked at her weirdly. "Do you…want to?" said an uncertain Tucker.

"Well…yes!" Jazz said frustratingly.

'_Ho-boy, how do I say this to all of them…' _"Um, no thanks guys, I, uh…just like some alone time…"

"Oh. Okay." Tucker said with a simple shrug as did Sam.

Jazz on the other hand… "Now Danny, just because I'm your sister doesn't mean I'm part of the 'uncool' crowd. I'm…um, hip…a-and-" Jazz was going to say more(actually was trying to think of more things to say.), until Jack interrupted her.

"Now Jazzy-Honey, I think Danny can take care of himself if that's what you're trying to convey. It's sweet that you're being the big sister and taking care of your little brother and all, but he's basically a man now! Why, in some countries back then, he's in the age to marry! …At least that's what I thought I heard."

Danny blushed at the embarrassing statement his Dad was giving him, while Tucker and Sam blinked in surprise, all the while Sam giving a sideway glance away from them as she smirked and blushed a tint of pink as well, thinking about the marriage thing.

Jazz just looked at her father in surprise also, as did Maddie, as she gave him a raised eyebrow.

Jack just gave them an uncanny look. "What? I'm a father, I can say these things."

"Um…that's true, dear, but I usually say something like that…well, excluding the marriage part."

"Well…I, uh…um-" Jack thought of something quick. "D-Danny! I need your help with…um, loading some-uh-the-um-uh-STUFF! Yes! To…carry inside the hotel!" Jack quickly ad-libs and grabs Danny by the arm, dragging him with him.

"GAH! Okay, wait a minute! I'm coming!" Danny said loudly, as he was dragged through the room like a rag doll.

The rest of the gang just stood there in puzzlement.

"O-_kay_…that was weird…." Jazz said with a raised eyebrow.

Sam and Tucker nodded. Maddie on the other hand, had a look of suspicion and was in thought.

"Well," Tucker began to say, "I'm up for a game of croquet. Anyone else dares to go up against a natural player?" he said with a cocky smirk.

Sam rolled her eyes at him. "Oh come on, you just won like _one_ game. Now you're going to act like you're an overconfident athlete now?"

"Now Sam, don't be so jealous of my mad croquet skills." said Tucker with an overconfident tone, in which Sam returned with a scoff.

Maddie, who snapped out of her thoughts, turned to the teenagers, "Wait a minute, kids! From what Danny experienced, there might be a chance that that ghost lion could come back around again in that area."

Tucker flinched at that. "Oh man, that's right. I forgot about that."

Maddie crossed her arms and put her hand on her chin. "Hmm…ah! I have an idea! Why don't I just search the first floor for now, and you'll call me when you see the ghost lion. If you do see it, I'll rush over there and take care of it. That and you can call me when you're done playing for the day."

Tucker and Sam glanced at each other for a bit and looked back at Maddie with shrugs. Sam then said, "Um, okay, that's…cool. But…don't we need weapons or something?"

"Can I have a weapon as well?" Jazz said with a raised hand.

Sam and Tucker turned to her in surprise.

Maddie turned to her daughter as well, looking confused. "Um…what for, dear?"

Jazz frowned. "What for? To defend myself! I might want to play some croquet as well!"

Sam and Tucker blinked in shock. "_You _want to play croquet with…us?" Sam said with hidden uncertainty, since her mother was present.

Jazz turned to them, a little frustrated. "Well, of course! I mean, I'm not going to be alone in a haunted hotel again, getting spooked by…well, whatever! I rather be outside for a while than be inside for any mischievous ghosts to play tricks on me!"

Maddie lips twisted into a thoughtful look. "Well…I would be breaking my promise to you and Danny on not using any ghost hunting weapons on this vacation. But…if you and Sam and Tucker want to defend yourselves during your stay, then okay, but please call me when one of you do spot it, alright?" She said, each giving them a concerned look.

Jazz, Tucker, and Sam collectively blinked at the worried adult. Tucker and Sam glanced at Jazz to see what she had to say since she was the daughter. Noticing their looks, Jazz sighed and said, "Don't worry, Mom, of course we'll call you." she finished with a smile.

Maddie smiled back. "Alright then! I'll go to the RV to get yourselves some weapons and I'll show you all the basics on how to use them! Just come to the lobby when you all have your sport equipment!" Maddie said as she walked out of the restaurant.

As soon as Maddie was gone, Sam turned to Jazz with a curious look on her face. "So you really want to play croquet with us?"

Jazz groaned irritably. "Yes! I mean, sure I have a new book, but after yesterday's little freaky incident, I rather do something else!"

Sam just smirked "Okay, fair enough." She shrugged. "Come on, let's get our equipment and see if we can beat the _master of_ _croquet_ over here."

Jazz giggled while Tucker frowned and said, "Oh you joke now, but I'll reign victorious! Just you wait!"

* * *

"So, you kept the old versions of the Fenton Weasels in the RV just in case you want me and Jazz to hunt ghosts with you?" Danny asked curiously to his Dad as they were in the RV, carrying the load of the Fenton Weasel on his back

"Well…yes…I kind of fooled your mother into thinking we were going to need extra stuff on the road. And yes, I know your mother said to leave you kids be, but…well…um…let's just keep this between you and me, okay Danny?" Jack whispered.

"Um, okay Dad, you have my word." said Danny, shrugging.

As soon as they gathered part of the ghost apparatus, Jack and Danny exited out of the RV, only to freeze in their spots, to see none other than Maddie standing in the front the door of the RV with her hands on her hips, looking at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Maddie! Dear, um, w-what are you doing here?" Jack sputtered. Danny just stood there like a deer caught in the headlights, not knowing what to do.

"I should be asking the same thing to you and Danny." She said levelly.

"Uh, w-well Maddie, you see, um, uh…well, we-" Jack tried to explain, but Maddie interrupted him with a loud sigh.

"You don't have to explain, Jack. I actually came here to get some weapons for the kids as well."

"Really?" Jack and Danny said in surprise

"Yes, so quite frankly, you're somewhat off the hook." Maddie said to Jack in a cautionary way.

"Um…alrighty then…" Jack said carefully.

"Wait, so it's okay for me and Dad to hunt for ghosts…if that's what you're implying?" Danny said with a cringe.

Maddie smiled. "Yes, that's what I'm implying." Her expression shifted to curiosity. "Although, I do find it strange that you want to hunt ghosts with us now. What changed your mind?"

"Oh, um…" Danny thought of the best(and true) excuse he could think of. "Well, it's just that you guys sounded liked you were having a hard time trying to find ghosts in the hotel, so I thought I could maybe…you know, probably lend you guys a hand."

Maddie smiled a big smile at Danny's assistance. "Why Danny, that is so thoughtful of you!" She said as she clasped her hands together in adoration.

Jack grinned at Danny as well. "Yeah, thanks Danny-boy! That's mighty swell of you to help out your Mom and me like that!" Jack put a hand to his chin. "Now if we can only get your sister to agree on doing this as well…"

"Well, either way, I am actually glad you're volunteering, Danny! We do might need all the help we could get at this point, depending on locating these ghosts."

Danny smirked. "I won't fail you guys."

Maddie giggled. "Good! Well, I'm going to let you men be! You be careful now, okay Danny?" she said.

"Sure thing Mom."

Maddie then passed them and entered the RV to retrieve the weapons for the rest of the kids as Jack and Danny walked back up the steps to the hotel.

**-oOo-**

**12:15 PM**

**-oOo-**

Danny and Jack walked through the back halls of the hotel to find a door with a sign next to it saying 'Basement/Boiler Room'.

"Well, this is it, Danny-boy! Our destination! You ready?" Jack said with a grin.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Danny said.

With that said, Jack then opened the door, which revealed a set of wooden downward stairs leading to a darkened room. Jack then turned on the light switch next to the door and all the florescent lights in the basement came on. They both walked down the steps into the almost cavernous looking basement/boiler room.

Danny looked around the area. It was mostly filled with cobwebs, dust, old equipment and old boxes, but it also housed an impressive, huge, cylindrical tank of an old copper-plated metal boiler that seemed to be smack dab in the middle of the basement. It looked kind of beaten up and patched up, with four cement blocks supporting underneath it. There were also a bunch of pipes and ducts connected to it with different types of color tags.

"Whoa..." Danny said quietly to himself.

"Yep! That boiler there is an impressive sight! I heard from Dick that it's the oldest and the biggest one there is! ..." Jack sounded like he was going to say more from the way he was stood, but then said, "So, uh...what do you think of this place, Danny? Ghost potential?"

"Um...yeah." Danny said, looking around the room. _'Man…Dad was right. This place looks like it could be crawling with ghosts…' _Danny thought. As soon as he thought of ghosts, he then remembered that his Dad had the Fenton Finder with him. He cringed inwardly. _'Ah crap. That's right, Dad has the Fenton Finder. What am I going to do if it points at me the whole time?' _

"Alrighty! So Danny, are you ready to search for some ghosts?" Jack said in a happy voice.

Danny thought of something quick. "Um, you know Dad, I have an idea! How about I search here for ghosts while you, um…probably go and inspect another floor? I mean, I think I got the hunting part down from seeing Mom and you work, and…well, since you already been here before, you might want to try another floor and…stuff…" Danny said uneasily as his Dad looked at him oddly.

"Um…okay?" Jack blinked. "Uh, are you sure, though? I mean, do you know how to turn on the Fenton Weasel?"

"Uh…yeah?" Danny partially lied.

"Oh, okay…but how will you track a ghost?" Jack questioned.

"I'll manage." Danny said without thinking, which made him again winced inwardly.

"Oh…well, okay. I guess I can go on another floor to track some ghosts from there. But if you need any help, just call via communicator, alright Danny?" Jack reminded him.

"Sure." Danny said with a 'thumbs up' gesture.

And with that, Jack went up the stairs, but not until he stopped and turned his head to his son. "Are you sure you can handle it, Danny?"

"Yeah, I…think I can. Don't worry, I'll call you when I need you." Danny assured.

"Um…alright…" Jack then went up the stairs and exited the area, leaving Danny alone in the boiler room/basement.

Danny sighed. It kind of made him feel bad to send off his Dad to another floor, but he didn't want the Fenton Finder to keep pestering him while he was helping his Dad. He can also see in his Dad's expression that he wanted to spend time with him, which made him feel even more guilty, but again, he couldn't take the risk.

He looked around the basement to observe his surroundings once more when his Dad left. _'Okay, no time to feel bad. Let's see what I can find in here ghost-wise.' _ He took the heavy equipment off his back and set it down on the ground.

While he walked along the pathway, he noticed there was a gated section in front of the giant steel boiler. Curious, he went to the gates and pushed them opened, surveying the cluttered room full of more boxes, tables, chairs, and collective dust.

'_Well, I'll probably stay here for the time being. Pull up a chair while I'm at it.' _Danny thought as he grabbed a chair in the room and pulled it over to the entrance of the gates. He wiped off the dust on the seat of the chair, and sat down on it.

"Well, let the waiting begin." pronounced Danny to himself.

* * *

**-oOo-**

**12:40 PM**

**-oOo-**

Danny…was bored.

He's been sitting and waiting on the chair he pulled up for at least twenty minutes, and still nothing on his ghost sense was coming up. He considered waiting for a few more minutes, but he wasn't much of a patient person. Plus…it was kind of spooky sitting here alone, with just only the boiler humming away to keep him company.

'_That is one BIG boiler…' _Danny thought absentmindedly for the third time.

He looked around for what seemed to be the fifth time to him, as he thought he heard something. The quiet can certainly get to you after waiting for a while.

'_Man, there has to be at _least _one ghost here…I mean, come on! Appear already!' _Danny thought in irritation. His bottom was getting numb from sitting on the hard chair for so long.

After five more minutes, he gave up with a sigh and got up from the chair to walk off the numbness he has in him. He walked around the hulking tank of a boiler, looking behind it to see if he can pick up any ghosts from there. When there was no such luck, Danny rubbed his face in aggravation.

When push comes to shove, Danny then decided to take a different approach…

'_Well, no one's here, so…' _Danny looked around once more cautiously, and then turned into Danny Phantom.

'_Okay, let's see if I have any luck this time.' _

He remembered what Sam had said on turning into Danny Phantom to lure some ghosts out so he can be able to persuade them into being caught. Time to test that out.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Danny said.

No answer.

"Well, here I am! I'm a ghost…just like you! …Well, kind of. It's kind of hard to explain, but still, nonetheless, I'm like you guys! …Almost."

Still no answer.

"…Hey, um…I know this is strange and all for me to ask, but I would REALLY appreciate it if…well…if one of you can come out of hiding…see, my Mom and Dad are trying to catch some ghosts - which is obviously you guys -, so they can…well, get paid. ...And you all have been kind of bothering some of the guests here, so..." He sighed. "Look, no offense, but you all need to be caught right now, so I don't know if we are going to do this the hard way or the easy way..."

Silence only answered him.

Danny looked around the room with searching eyes. "Look, I know you're there. All of you tried to scare my sister, and I've been picking you guys up with my ghost sense." he said, a little annoyed at what little communication he's receiving.

He then thought of bringing up Delbert Grady or this Casey Harold to break the ice, until…

_SHHIIKK! _

Danny jumped at the noise. He smirked. _'Alright. Now we're talking.' _

He dashed around the front of the boiler to find where the source of the sound was. As he reached there, he noticed that the chair he was sitting on moved at least two feet from its position.

'_Okay, now we're getting somewhere.' _"Okay, good. Now maybe if one of you could come out so I can see..." Danny paused his sentence.

'_Wait a minute…' _Danny thought uneasily. _'…What happened to my ghost sense?'_

Danny's ghost sense didn't go off…it was like the topiary lion all over again…

He stood there, unmoving…

…Something rattled.

Danny, snapping out of his daze, focused his attention to the chair, which started to shift in his place.

He blinked.

The chair then started to…move?

…No wait…it started to _slide_ backwards…very slowly to the gated section of the basement.

Danny raised an eyebrow at the peculiar sight. The chair then proceeded to slide until it stopped at the middle of the gated room, surrounded by tables and boxes.

He stared at it warily. Still Danny Phantom, he took careful steps to the chair. As he walked to it, he realized again that his ghost sense didn't go off, which was really starting to bother him. Why _wasn't_ it going off?

…Wait…come to think of it…why couldn't he _SEE _them?

As he stopped in front of the chair, he observed it just for a few seconds…

Danny stood silent…waiting for something else to happen.

A couple of seconds still passed.

He looked around the room and decided to say something to ease the tension.

"Um…alright…so you're here. That's a start. Now again, whoever did that…can someone tell me how you did that without me seeing you…and come out so I _can_ see you?"

More silence…

The silence was getting very old…and very unnerving.

Danny frowned. Why does he get the feeling that something weird is going to happen?

After what seemed like an eternity to him, he was about to speak out again, when he, somewhere, in what seem like a distance, heard…

…Chanting?

Danny's eyes widened as his mouth parted.

It sounded slow and low…but it soon came out louder, faster, and rhythmic…

…_Ohm-shada is-ta, Ohm-shada is-ta, Ohm-shada is-ta, Ohm-shada is-ta…_

Danny heard chanting…and it was getting louder, the sound reaching to his ears. He looked around the room frantically, trying to locate the sound. But he couldn't find it anywhere.

It was getting louder, straining his ears.

…_Ohm-shada is-ta, Ohm-shada is-ta, OHM-SHADA IS-TA, OHM-SHADA IS-TA, OHM-SHADA IS-TA..._

Danny was on edge. Not knowing what to do, he grasped his ears, blocking out the sound.

It still kept going.

_OHM-SHADA IS-TA, OHM-SHADA IS-TA, OHM-SHADA IS-TA..._

He gritted his teeth, closing his eyes tightly, trying very hard to block out this…whatever it is!

'_What…what's going on?'_Danny thought as he started to get a little shaky.

The chant was going full blast now. He tried to walk out of the room, but his sudden shakiness was getting him off balanced, making him almost toppled over, but was able to put his hand on the table to support himself to not make him fall to the ground.

Danny grunted. It was getting extreme now.

_OHM-SHADA IS-TA, OHM-SHADA IS-TA,__**OHM-SHADA IS-TA!**_

It stopped.

Danny slowly and warily opened his eyes.

He was still in the boiler room.

His posture shot up and he looked around intently to see if anyone was there. There wasn't.

He turned his head to look at the chair. It still stood there.

Danny stood there himself, wondering just what in the world occurred.

"What…" He said out loud. "…happened?" Danny then grunted, dizziness clouding his brain suddenly.

"Whoa…okay, what's happening? Keep it together now." He said as he closed his eyes once more to prevent this sudden nausea, while putting his hand on his forehead, while the other one supported himself on a table.

As soon as the dizziness calmed, he opened his eyes. He shook his head to clear off any more uncomfortable feelings that he might have had.

He looked down at himself to see that he was still in his Danny Phantom hazmat suit.

'_Okay…everything is in order.' _He looked around the room one last time, before coming to a conclusion. _'…I think I should leave…for now.'_

He changed back to Danny Fenton and cautiously walked out the gated area. He trekked past the boiler and reached to the Fenton Weasel, picking it up and strapping it on his back. As he went up the stairs, he stopped mid-step and turned around to get one last look at the room…

He shook his head in bemusement. "Well…this _really _got interesting." he muttered.

And with that, he left the basement.

* * *

**(in a sing-song voice) I'm not going to tell you what just happened~! XD**

**Well, I hope this chapter at least gave you the creeps! Tell me how I did with a nice review,** **please! :)**

**EDIT: I gave the boiler more description, and I think that was necessary. The people who read the book will know what I'm talking about, but if my first time readers don't, then...well, you'll see what I got planned. ;D**


	10. Day 2: Occurrences

**-oOo-**

**1:00 PM**

**-oOo- **

As Danny walked out of the basement and closed the door behind him, he strolled his way back to the lobby, walking around through the maze-like halls. While he trekked through the halls, he contemplated on what that mantra was.

Danny put his hand to his head in thought, _'Man…that was weird. I wonder where all that chanting came from?' _He shook his head and sighed. _'Whatever it was, I'm sure I'll have to ask Dick about it.' _

Before he entered the lobby, he dug out his pocket to get his Fenton Phone and equipped it in his ear. He turned it on to contact his Dad and said, "Hello?"

Strangely like last time, it was getting static from the other end.

Danny frowned. _'It's doing it again…' _"Hello?" he tried again.

He can hear his Dad from the other line, but just barely. The static was covering up most of what he was saying.

"…_*static*-anny? *static* Are you the-*static*? …atch any gho-*static*…anny? *static*…"_

Danny scowled and poked his ear phone to somehow make it clearer. "Dad?"

"…_*static* Dan-*static*? I ca-*static*-ear you. Do-*static*…elp you out?"_

Danny can make what's little of the connection, and thought his Dad said that he wanted to help out. "Dad? I'm out of the basement. Can you hear me?"

"…_*static*-anny? Danny? Can you hear me? Is there a problem? What's wrong?"_

The reception was clear again… _'Huh. That was weird.' _thought Danny. He then remembered that his Dad was on the other line and spoke out, "Oh, uh, nothing, really. I was just telling you that I was out of the basement."

"_You are? Did you catch any ghosts down there?"_

"Well, um…no, not really." said Danny, a little dejected.

"_What? Really? …Aww…well darn it…"_

Danny quickly added though, "But I did experience some activity."

"_You did?" _Jack said with renewed hope on the other line.

"Yeah, but uh…it was brief." Danny said, picking his words carefully. He wasn't exactly going to tell him his whole experience as Danny Phantom.

"_Brief you say? What kind of activity did you experienced?" _

"Um, well…" He paused, thinking on how he should explain the weird happening of what just occurred in the basement to his Dad. Should he tell him about the chanting?

"_Danny?'_

"Oh, uh, sorry. A, um…chair moved?"

"_Really? Eureka! What else?"_ Excitement was evident in Jack's voice.

"Well…" Danny said cautiously. He _could _tell him about the chanting, but…he really didn't know what all of that was about.

He had to go with a little white lie for now. "I heard some voices…"

"_You did? AHA! I knew there was something spooky in that room! Great work Danny!"_

"But…I didn't catch any ghosts…" Danny said, a little ashamed of himself. How in the world did these ghosts managed to not appear in front of his eyes, was beyond him.

"_Aw, don't worry about it, Sport! This is your first time doing this type of work! You just gotta be patient!"_

'_It's not my patience that I'm antsy about.' _Danny thought to himself.

"_So Danny, since you found some activity, do you want me to help you investigate the basement again?"_

Danny winced. He really hated to say this to his Dad, since he figured his father was trying to bond with him, but again, he can't risk being detected by the Fenton Finder… "Um, actually, I was going to search the lobby for a bit."

"_Oh…well, uh…do you, um…do you want me to help you out?" _

Danny winced again. He's not making this easy… "Uh, no, no. I think I can handle it."

"…_Well…alright. Just, you know…call me when you need me." _

Guilt is really forming into Danny right now. "I-I will."

"_Okay…well, um…see you later, Sport."_

"You too." Danny said, disconnecting the line. He entered the lobby, still carrying the Fenton Weasel on his back, as he looked around the area. The whole lobby seemed to look normal…

He examined the area more, only to glance out at one of the windows, through the garden, to see that his friends and his sister are playing croquet.

Then he had an idea.

'_Maybe I could investigate those topiary lions since I have the Fenton Weasel with me.' _Danny thought pensively. He walked towards the double doors, opened one of them, and trekked through the grand porch as he walked down the steps.

Sam spotted Danny as she waited for her turn to play. She smirked and waved at him. "Hey Danny!"

Jazz and Tucker turned to where they stood, as Tucker gave a wave to his friend, while Jazz smiled at her brother and waved also.

"Hey Sam, Tuck, Jazz." He said as he made his way around the garden. He was still wary about going through it… "I'm guessing Mom already told you guys about me ghost hunting around here."

"Yep. Your Mom even gave us our very own weapons!" Tucker said as he patted a Wraith Wrangler on his hip.

"So what are you doing out here?" asked Jazz.

"I decided that I should try and get this ghost lion out from hiding." said Danny, raising the nozzle of his Fenton Weasel.

"Really?" Tucker raised an eyebrow and then said overconfidently with a smirk, "You sure you weren't here for a rematch?"

"Ugh, give it a rest Tucker." Sam groaned.

"Oh, do I detect some _bitterness_ towards my winning streak?" Tucker said arrogantly, still a smirk plastered on his face.

"Do I detect you being _obnoxious_?" Sam said dryly.

"_Anyways_," Danny interrupted them before they got into a feud, "yeah, I'm trying to hunt down this ghost lion. Did you all see anything that was ghostly around here?"

"Nope."

"Nuh-uh."

"No, sorry."

Danny frowned. "Darn it. What's _with_ these ghosts?" he inquired to himself a little irritably.

"No success in the basement, huh?" Sam said with a sad frown.

Danny's head shot up. "Oh! Um…actually, there was some activity that I experienced in the basement a while ago."

All of their eyebrows rose up.

"Really?" Tucker said in surprise.

"Yeah. There was-" Danny stopped his sentence for a second. He was going to tell them about the bizarre chanting in the basement, but thought against it, for he just thought that that would make them worry more. "…some voices and movement." he said, just in time to finish his sentence.

Jazz raised an eyebrow as well as Sam at that answer.

"Um, okay…was there anything else?" Jazz inquired.

Danny inwardly winced. "Not really…" he lied.

"Huh, well that's spooky. I knew a basement would carry off some sort of creepy vibe." said a thoughtful Tucker.

"Yeah…so, uh…who's winning the game?" Danny said, changing the subject.

Tucker smirked. "You're looking at him! Two successful wins and about to be the third!" he said, pointing his thumb at himself with pride.

"And he won't stop bragging about it." grumbled Sam.

"Hey, what can I say? I think I may found something that I'm very athletic at!" Tucker said smoothly.

"Oh please, you're just hitting a ball with a mallet! How can that be athletic?" Sam said in aggravation.

"Well Sam, my good friend, I found out that croquet is a mind sport as well. If you can calculate the trajectory on where it goes by hitting it hard enough, it will, of course, lead the ball on where it goes. It's simple physics really." Tucker said it offhandedly with a grin.

Sam blinked at him incredulously. "Are you serious? The only calculations I ever seen you do is when you're on your PDA!"

"Alright guys, let's try not to get at each other's throats and concentrate back on the game." Jazz said, trying to break them up. She then added, "I mean at least you're in second Sam. I'm new at this."

Danny cleared his throat to get their attention. "Well, I'll just let you guys go back to your game, while I'll try to find this ghost lion."

"Alright Danny! Good luck!" Jazz said.

"Yeah, good luck! And we'll call you if we spot anything ghost related in the horizon." Sam assured.

"Thanks." Danny said as he turned around and made his way to the wide garden in front of the hotel.

As they watched him go, Sam, along with Jazz, both had looks of suspicion on their faces, wondering what made Danny so briefly hesitant when he told them about what he found.

Meanwhile, Danny was walking towards one of the entryways of the garden, when he stopped in front of the exact topiary lion that growled at him. Staring up at it, he observed it a bit. The large hedge-lion was situated in front of the garden, looking like it was ready to lower his front paws on its prey from its standing position. Danny shook his head, _'Come on Danny, it's not a ghost, it's a hedge sculpture! It's not going to attack you! Besides, the ghost lion must have exited out of it by now…which sounds bizarre, but hey, I encountered many bizarre things. Either way, it has to around here somewhere.' _After mentally sorting that out, he soon walked past the topiary lion(while still wary, of course) and entered the garden.

He walked to one of the four benches that were in the garden and sat on the southeast one. He waited intently to see if his ghost sense can pick anything up.

After seven minutes passed, Danny heard a 'wooo!' from Tucker. He turned around in his seat to see Tucker's victory dance as it looked like he won another game.

"Aw yeah! Who da man? Who da man?" boast Tucker as he did his little dance.

"Okay. That's it. I'm quittin' for the day." announced Sam irritably.

Jazz sighed. "Ditto."

"What? Come on! Don't be sore losers! I'm just good at this!" Tucker called out to them as they walked away from the field and entered the garden where Danny is.

"So who won?" Danny said dryly with a smirk.

Sam snorted and said, "Tiger Woods did, apparently."

Jazz smiled at the joke. However, she turned to Danny with changed with a poignant expression saying, "So no luck yet on your ghost sense?"

Danny sighed heavily as he ran his hand through his hair. "No, not really. Just sitting out here, waiting."

"Well…I hope you get the ghost." reassured Jazz.

"Me too." said Sam.

"Thanks." said Danny as he waved at them when they exited out of the garden. Tucker was next to enter the area with a pouting look on his face, as he was crossing his arms with the croquet mallet clutched in one hand while the ball was held in the other.

He stopped next to Danny and grumbled, "Just cause I won three games, doesn't mean they have to act immature about it."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Says the guy who does a dance every time he hits a ball through a hoop."

Tucker turned his head at him to give him a dry look. Danny shrugged and said, "You kind of were acting obnoxious."

Tucker just sighed. "Alright, I guess I _did_ act like a jerk."

Danny chuckled. "Next time when you win, try to not to be so big headed about it."

"Yeah, yeah." Tucker said good-naturedly. "Well, I'm gonna jet so you can catch this ghost animal or whatever. Good luck buddy!" he said as he exited out of the garden, waving at him and walking back to the hotel.

"Yeah, I'll need it at this point." Danny muttered to himself as he waved back at Tucker.

* * *

"Did Danny sound…hesitant to you when he explained what he found in the basement?" Jazz said out of the blue.

Sam turned around and blinked at her as she was putting up her croquet equipment in the recreational closet.

"Huh?" she said, taken aback.

"I said, did Danny sound hesitant to you when he was explaining on what he found in the basement?" Jazz repeated.

Sam blinked again. She then chuckled as she put a hand on her hip. "So, you noticed too, huh?"

Jazz grinned. "Have to be if I wish to become a child psychiatrist!"

Sam smirked. She then looked thoughtful and said, "Well, he did seem like he wasn't telling the whole truth."

Jazz nodded. "Well then, it's settled. I'm going to ask him."

Sam snapped out of her thoughts and said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! _You're _going to ask him?"

Now it was Jazz's turn to blink. "Well yeah. I am his sister." She then put two and two together and slyly smirked. "Unless _you_ want to talk to him about it…"

Sam's eyes widened as she once again looked taken aback. Not replying back, she turned her head to the side and narrowed her eyes as she crossed her arms, trying to hold out a blush.

Jazz grinned and raised her hands in calm mock surrender, saying, "Okay, I'll let you talk to him."

Sam turned her head back to Jazz with the same expression on her face. "…I hate you right now."

Jazz crossed her arms as well, wearing a smug smile on her face. "You're welcome." Her expression soften as she said, "Just please tell me what it was when you get back."

Sam sighed heavily and muttered, "Alright, whatever." She soon took her leave out of the closet, as well as Jazz who walked behind her.

* * *

Danny, still sitting on the bench, rubbed his face out of boredom.

'_Man, what does it take for a ghost to appear around here?' _Danny thought frustration.

He looked around the garden to gaze at the four large lion hedges that situated on each side of the big cul-de-sac circle, to a colorful array of flowers were in the middle of the garden.

"Mind if I sit?"

Danny jump in his seat and turned his head to see none other than Sam, who was approaching his sitting spot through the north side of the cobblestone pathway in the garden.

Danny smiled. "Nope. Not at all."

Sam smiled as well as she sat down next to him.

They were quiet for a while as they were lost in their thoughts…

"So Danny…" Sam started.

Danny turned to Sam. "Yeah?"

"About what you saw in the basement…" Sam turned to Danny to see how he would react to this.

Danny's eyes widened slightly as he realized why she's out here. _'Uh-oh…'_ "U-uh…y-yeah?"

Sam inwardly smirked. She continued, "I was wondering…were you telling the whole truth?"

Danny's eyes widened even more as his mouth dropped a little. He then regained his composure and just shook his head as he chuckled. "Definitely nothing gets by you, Sam."

"You know it." Sam said as she smiled. "So come on Danny. What did you _really _saw down there?"

"Well, it's not what I saw…it's what I heard." Danny clarified.

"Heard?" Sam blinked. "What did you hear?" she asked with curiosity.

Danny contemplated on answering that. He doesn't want to freak Sam, Tucker, and Jazz out with what he heard. And for some reason, he just didn't feel comfortable telling it to his Mom and Dad; maybe it's partially because he couldn't explain it and they'll jump to some weird reason if he did explained it. Also, he didn't want to worry himself as well, even though a few strange happenings have been going on in the hotel, but those happenings were just minor.

This place was just _weird_…

"Danny?"

Danny shook his head and said, "Sorry, it's just that…" He waited for a second until he answered. "…there was some sort of…chanting."

Sam eyes widened. "Chanting?"

"Yeah, and I don't know what to make of it." Danny frowned.

"What kind of chanting? Was it like demonic chanting?" Sam said, a little worried.

Danny thought about it, until he shook his head and said, "No. It was…kind of human sounding…and it was low too." He said as he scratched his head in thought.

Should he tell her that he became Danny Phantom while he heard it? Should he also tell her that his ghost sense didn't pick up anything when it occurred? And that the chanting did had some kind of made him woozy while he was in the storage section of the room?

'_No. I don't want her to worry. I don't want anyone to worry. Besides, it's not like I'm hurt or anything.' _Danny thought rationally.

Sam, though, was thinking about it intently, putting a hand to her chin. "Well…was it ominous sounding or something?"

Danny sighed, "I don't know…um…it just sounded…slow for a bit, and then it went pretty fast…I don't _think_ it was ominous…" he explained.

Sam twisted her lips thoughtfully. She then said, "Did it do anything to you?"

Danny had to stop for a bit to let her think he was contemplating about it. _'Now's the time to see if I'm a really good liar.'_ "Well…not really." he said, making sure that was convincing enough.

It seems like she bought it, as her eyes divert to the ground in thought, and sat there with her chin resting on her hand.

After a few seconds, Danny sighed and said, "Look Sam, I don't think it was nothing. Sure it was a little creepy, but I came out fine! Maybe what Dick said about the hotel having mischievous ghosts is true. I mean again, sure, some grizzly stuff happened here, but maybe the people that died here did have problems that caused their demise. Maybe we're just blowing this out of proportion. I mean, really, again it was nothing. The only thing that we _do_ _know_ about this place is that it _is _haunted."

Sam turned her head to Danny and blinked at him in surprise. She sat there in silence and looked back at the cobblestoned ground. She muttered, "I don't know…" she said unsurely. She then sighed and said, "Maybe you're right."

Danny still sensed that Sam was not sold, so he said, "Don't worry about it, Sam. Like Dick said to me, if they get too mischievous, I'll turn into Phantom and give them a good scolding."

Sam snickered, "I love to see that." She turned to gaze at Danny with a smirk. "Okay, okay, I'll cool down for a bit. We are on vacation after all."

Danny smiled. He looked around the garden a bit and said, "Well, I think I'll go inside for now, seeing as this ghost lion is being stubborn and won't come out."

Sam frowned. "Sorry about that, Danny. You would think an animal ghost would've just pop up by now."

"Yeah…maybe it was just a stray ghost animal once I think about it. I mean, it was probably just passing by or something." Danny reasoned.

"Hm…maybe so." said Sam who thought about it.

"Well, either way, I'm not gonna search any ghosts out here, while the rest of the activity is inside." Danny concluded as he stood up. "Care to go inside, my lady?" he said in a joking chivalrous matter.

Sam softly smirked. "Well, seeing as that I have nowhere to go, then sure." she joked as she stood up as well.

The two of them trekked back to the hotel, leaving behind the beautiful garden that houses the lion hedges...

* * *

**-oOo-**

**3:00 PM**

**-oOo-**

Everyone was doing their standard things in the hotel. Jack and Maddie were still ghost hunting around each floor to different rooms, Jazz went back to the reading room to read her books(although she was cautious this time around), Tucker in the business room playing MMORPG's, while Danny and Sam were playing Go-Fish in the lobby. Danny asked his Dad through Fenton Phone if he could take a thirty minute break, in which Jack said that would be fine. Although, he did sounded kind of crestfallen…he hopes it wasn't because his Dad wanted to spend time with him. That would just make him feel completely awful. But he couldn't let that Fenton Finder detected his ghostly aura when he's around his Dad, especially when they're ghost hunting.

"Got any sevens?" Sam said across the chair, snapping out of Danny's thoughts.

"Oh, um…aw, man." Danny said with a frown. He slipped the card from the spread deck in his hands and gave it to Sam.

It was still Sam's turn. "Got any fives?" she asked.

"Darn it." Danny complained and blew out a sigh as he gave her another card. "We definitely need some staff here soon."

"Hey, we're making the best out of all of this, aren't we?" Sam reasoned.

"Well, yeah…but in my personal opinion, I think 'best' has officially checked outta here at this point." Danny joked.

Sam rolled her eyes and scoffed, "I think you're really just sour that you're losing to a simple card game. Got any twos?"

Danny glared at her, and gave her the card. "It's really not just the staff coming to serve our every need that I'm thinking about."

"You mean you're trying to figure out why the ghosts aren't appearing? Got any eights?" questioned Sam.

Danny blinked and gave her the card. '_Wow_. _I wonder if she has the 'shining' as well.' _he thought with a chuckle and a smirk. "Yeah. It's weird. I mean sure, I guess they're hiding, but these ghosts are a little _too _good at hiding." he mused.

"Well, we do have ghost hunters and a half ghost superhero in their territory. I think they would be a little cautious not to come out. Got any threes?" said Sam.

Danny was too focused on his thoughts to care that he was losing. "Yeah, but still, it should be a piece of cake to catch these ghost since they're just your run-of-the-mill ghosts. I mean, my parents have advanced ghost technology, and they haven't even caught anything at all. Again, it's…weird."

Sam could see that he was a little bothered by this, so she said, "Well, maybe we just need a few more hours, or perhaps days. They have to come out sometime."

Danny sighed solemnly, "Yeah…I'm just thinking of my Mom and Dad's job for this. I don't want people to think they're crazy or anything if they don't catch any ghosts."

Sam looked at Danny with sad eyes and said in a reassuring tone, "Hey. Don't worry about it. You told me before not to worry about it, and here I am not worrying! I'm taking _your_ advice, you know." Sam said with a teasing smile.

Danny looked up at Sam with a smile of his own in response. "That you are." He shook his head a little as he chuckled. "You're right. I'm not gonna worry. I'm sure and certain that these ghosts will get caught by my parents and we'll have a great stay here, with or without ghosts."

"As Jazz aptly put it, 'That's the spirit!'." Sam paused for a moment and did a face-palm. "I can't believe I just said that." She then looked at the remaining card she had and smirked. "Got any tens?"

Danny blinked and looked at the last card he had in his hand. "You know, we should've gotten Tucker to come play this game with us." he grumbled as he gave his card to Sam. Obviously Sam was the winner as she has three books of card on the table, while Danny had none. "How did you know what the last cards were, anyways?"

Sam shrugged, "Women's intuition." she said nonchalantly with a smile.

Danny raised a peculiar eyebrow. "O-kay…well, I think had about enough fun and games for today." he said as he got up from his plush chair, picked up his Fenton Weasel, and began to walk to the right entrance of the halls. "I'm gonna check where Mom is."

"Yeah, I'm done too. Gonna read my book in mine and Jazz's room." said Sam, while stretching her joints and standing up from her chair as well.

Danny stopped and turned to her, eyes widened a bit. "Alone?" he said incredulously.

"…Uh, yeah?" Sam said matter-of-factly, looking at him weirdly. She then realized what he meant. "Oh Danny, come on! You know I'm a tough girl! Besides, I'll have the TV on or something, so don't worry about it. I got the Fenton Phone in my pocket, so I can call your Mom if anything ghostly happens." Sam reassured.

"Oh…well, okay." Danny said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment and feeling silly for thinking that Sam couldn't take care of herself, especially if it's just ordinary ghosts with no super powers. Danny then came up with a thought and said, "Actually, could you lend me your Fenton Phone for a second? I just want to know where my Mom is. That will save me the trip on finding here."

"Sure." Sam fished out her phone in her skirt pocket and gave it to Danny.

Danny put the phone in his ear and turned it on. "Mom, you there?"

The phones were giving off static again. Danny frowned. _'What is _up_ with this interference?'_

"…_*static*-anny? Is-*static*-ou? Ar-*static*-sing Sa-*static*-ne?"_

Danny could make out some of what his Mom was saying, so he went along with what he said, "Uh, yeah Mom, it's me. I'm using Sam's phone."

"…*static*-anny? _Ar-*static*-ere? Is S-*static*-ight? *static*-anny? Danny? Sweetie, are you there?" _Maddie said as the reception cleared up. His Mom also sounded worried.

"Mom? Yeah, I'm here! Can you hear me? I'm using Sam's phone! Where are you?" Danny spoke a little loudly, causing Sam to look at the situation with confusion.

"_Yes sweetie, I can hear you! Are you alright? What happened? Is Sam okay? Did you see a ghost?" _Maddie said in concern.

"Mom, don't worry, everything's fine, Sam's fine! And no, I didn't see a ghost." Danny said his normal tone.

"_Oh! Well, my goodness Danny, I'm so sorry for panicking like that! It's just that I couldn't hear you through the static…which is odd, because these things are usually crystal clear." _Maddie said, perplexed. _"Maybe it's because we're in the mountains…" _she muttered through the ear phone.

Danny never considered that. That's probably why their reception was poor at times. "Uh, yeah! Probably…but um, I just wanted to know where you were and to see if you catch anything?"

"_Oh, well, I'm in the ballroom right now, and…" _Maddie sighed. _"…unfortunately, I haven't caught any ghosts. These ghouls are quite the crafty bunch."_

"Oh, uh…well…sorry to hear that." Danny said, feeling sorry for both his Mom and Dad. He doesn't know _what _the _deal _is with these ghosts!

"_Oh, don't worry about it, Danny! Maybe we'll get lucky tonight or tomorrow!" _Maddie said, optimistic again.

"Uh, yeah…say, uh, do you need any help?" Danny decided to ask. He might as well help his Mom while he was at it.

"_Help? Well…are you sure Danny? I mean, again, we do need all the help we can get, but…oh, why not? Sure, Danny! This will actually be a nice learning experience for you when you try to ghost hunt…not that I'm saying you want to, but just in case of emergencies."_

"Uh…yeah…sure. Okay, so, I'll meet you at the ballroom!" Danny said.

"_Alrighy then, Danny!" _Maddie said with glee.

"Okay. I'm giving the ear phoneback to Sam now. Bye."

"_Okay! Bye, Sweetie!"_

Danny cut off the Fenton Phone and gave it back to Sam. Sam looked curious as to what went on. "So what was that all about?

"Oh, well the phone wouldn't get any good reception, but it calmed down after a while. That, and I'm going to the ballroom to ghost hunt with Mom. You know, just something for me to do." Danny explained.

Sam eyes widened. "The Fenton Phones weren't working before? I thought they have clear reception?"

"Yeah, I thought so too. But I guess it's just because we're in the mountains or something." Danny reasoned.

Sam put a hand on her chin and looked at the floor in thought. She then said, "I guess that sounds right."

Danny nodded, "I would think so." He looked behind him. "Well, I better get going to the ballroom. See you then, Sam."

"Okay, see you then too, Danny." said Sam.

* * *

"Mom?" Danny called out as he was about to enter the ballroom. He was still walking onto the elegant carpet even as he entered the ballroom, in which covered most of the floor, but surrounded a large square area of dark hardwood panel flooring that was reserved for dancing. He glanced around for his mother, and saw that over at the left side of the room - where there was a long bar counter attached to the wall and floor -,was his Mom, inspecting the surface of the counter with a device that, much to Danny's relief, didn't look like the Fenton Finder.

Maddie heard her son's call and diverted her attention from the counter to him. "Hi Danny!" she said with a sweet smile.

"Hey Mom." Danny walked over to where she was. "So, what are you doing?"

"Well, I'm trying to scan and locate any ghostly handprints on this counter here, but so far…" Maddie frowned as she looked at the readings with a frustrated sigh. "…nothing."

Danny frowned sadly. "I'm sorry about that, Mom. Did you get any leads at least?"

"Well…I got one lead. Your father said he had a lead too, but it disappeared on him." Maddie said with a thoughtful frown.

"Really? Where did you find the lead?" Danny asked.

"Well, it was when I was investigating the third floor. The Fenton Finder located a ghost somewhere in the halls and I ended up following it to the second and first floor." Maddie confirmed.

"Huh. Dad said he located a ghost while he was on the third, fourth, and fifth floor. It probably went back down to the other floors, and that's perhaps when the Fenton Finder detected it from there." Danny speculated.

Maddie blinked at her son and smiled at him, "Very observant, Danny! That might be the same ghost!" While she said that, something beeped on her device. She turned her attention to it and observed it to say, "Oh! Well…darn."

"What happened?" asked Danny.

"Well, it looks this Fenton Printer has shut down!" Maddie said in confusion.

"…Fenton Printer? Is that what it's called?" Danny said, pointing at the device with a raised eyebrow.

"Yep, that's what it's called." Maddie said, looking over the Fenton Printer. "As I explained before, it's a device that scans any ghost hands and fingerprints on any surface, or anything that leaves some sort of print behind."

"Oh…so, it's not working right now?" Danny asked.

"Nope, it's not…" Maddie sighed. "I'm sorry Danny, I need to go to the RV to fix this. Maybe you could see if there are any ghosts around here when I get back. Would that be okay, Sweetie?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Danny shrugged.

Maddie smiled. "Great! Thank you, Danny! Here," she reached for the Fenton Finder that was on her belt, handed to him and said, "Use the Fenton Finder to see if there are any ghosts in this area. Now don't worry, I'll be right back!" she said happily as she exited out of the bar counter and soon out of the ballroom.

When his mother was gone, Danny, Fenton Finder in his hands, looked around the ballroom. He did notice when he first entered the room that morning, that all of the chairs were stacked up in the right side of the wall, while some of the tables were on the exact same side, while the others were on the huge stage.

Danny looked at the Fenton Finder, took a deep breath, and walked over to the bar area. He took off the Fenton Weasel, set it on the ground, and climbed up on one of the barstools and set the Fenton Finder on the bar counter. Drumming his hands on the counter, he waited for his ghost sense to pick up any ghosts that would arrive in the ballroom.

'_Well, this has been an eventful day.' _thought Danny wryly. _'No ghosts, and the only thing that ever came up around here, was a bunch of voices, and a smell in mine and Tucker's bathroom.' _He then remembered something. _'Oh that's right! I got to call Dick! Maybe after this is over, I'll call one of the landline phones in the lobby or in my room.' _

As Danny waited for his Mom to come back, he gazed around the room some more. After he was done looking around the room, he looked over the bar to see if there was anything behind it. He got down from the barstool and walked around and inside the bar. He squatted to see if anything was kept behind the counter.

Danny paused.

…Trumpets?

He blinked.

He was hearing…trumpets…and bass clarinets?

Danny stood up. "What the…?"

The music was faint…then it started to get louder…

…Just like the chanting back in the boiler room.

But this wasn't like the chanting back in the basement. The music wasn't growing louder and louder by the second. It seems to stop at its maximum, making it sound like a concert was being held in the ballroom.

The one thing though, that disturbed Danny about this was that his ghost sense, _yet_ _again_, didn't go off.

"H-hello?" Danny said through the noise, as he quickly exited out of the counter, and reached for his Fenton Weasel, strapping it around his back.

The music then stopped its rising intensity, as it really sounds more like a concert now.

Perplexed and bothered by this, Danny turned around to glance at the Fenton Finder. If his ghost sense wasn't acting up, then he probably needs to rely on the device. He went to the object, grabbed it, and turned it on, hoping it spots some ghosts around here…

…But to his surprise, there wasn't…

Danny's eyes widen in shock. _'What the…that _can't_ be right!' _He looked around everywhere for any signs of ghosts…but found none.

The music seemed to go on for a while...and no matter how melodic the music was, it still perturbed Danny…

He walked slowly to the center of the ballroom, entering the hardwood flooring of the room. With Fenton Finder in hand, and Fenton Weasel on his back, Danny was puzzled as to why he, and the device, were not picking up any ghosts.

Danny stopped at the middle of the ballroom, and turned his gaze over at the center stage. The music seemed to be coming from over there, but…there was _nothing there_ at all…

He stood there, staring hard at the stage, hoping that something, _anything_, would pop up that would resemble a ghost. But there was nothing…just _nothing_…

"Danny-Boy?" said a male voice.

Danny, startled, turned around and looked behind him to see none other than his father, standing in one of the frames of the doorways.

"Dad?" said Danny, a look of surprise on his face.

"Hey, Sport…whatcha doing over here?" Jack asked curiously.

Danny was about to answer when he noticed something…

The music was gone.

Danny eyes widen as he looked behind him to see the stage. It was...gone, to say the least, since he couldn't see the ghosts…or whatever had made that music…

"Danny?" said a concern Jack.

Danny snapped back to reality and turned to his Dad. "Uh…d-did you hear anything around here?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Hear what?"

Danny blinked. "The…the music?"

Jack looked at his son oddly. "Music? …Uh, Danny, are you okay?"

Said person stood in disbelief. _'But…but I _heard _it! There _was_ music playing in here!'_

"Oh Jack! There you are!" said Maddie, who was coming down the hall and to where Jack was.

"Hey Maddie! What's going on so far?" inquired Jack as he turned to her.

"Well, I was just fixing the Fenton Printer over at the RV because it shut down on me, but then all of sudden it just started working again!" Maddie said, perplexed as she observed her Fenton Printer.

"It did?" Danny said as he walked to where his parents were.

Maddie nodded. "Mm-hm. I wonder what happened…" she observed it some more, and came to a conclusion with a sigh. "Well, I guess it went back on at the last minute." She turned her gaze at her son with a smile. "Did you find anything while I was gone?"

Danny was baffled. "You mean you didn't hear any music coming over here?"

Maddie blinked. "Music?" She looked at Jack with a questionable look.

Jack shrugged, "Danny-Boy thought he heard some music around here." He informed.

"No, I didn't 'think' I heard anything, I 'know'! There was music playing in _this_ room! It sounded like a concert!" Danny tried to reason.

Maddie and Jack blinked at their son and looked at each other for a second. They gazed back at him with concern, as Maddie said, "Danny, we didn't hear any music."

Danny was just mystified. "You guys…didn't hear any music?"

He couldn't believe this. He heard it clear as day! It should've even reverberated through the halls with that kind of volume it was emitting!

"Yeah Sport, we didn't hear anything." Jack said with a worried frown.

"There…wasn't?" Danny put a hand to his head in thought. Did he just imagine it?

His parents glanced at each other again in worry. His father then said to Danny, "Son, maybe this whole 'ghost hunting' thing is a little too stressful for you right now. I think you've done a good job so far, so maybe you might need some rest."

"I agree." said Maddie.

Danny still had his hand to his head, his fingers through his hair. "Uh…"

He probably did need the rest. He has been going at this ghost hunt for at least four to five hours now. And he did feel tired from walking around almost everywhere.

"…Well…a-alright…" Danny said, still a little unsure, but giving in nonetheless.

Maddie gave her son a sweet, reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it, Danny. We'll take it from here. We appreciated the help!"

"Yeah, Sport! Now go get yourself some rest, buddy! You deserve it!" said Jack half-heartily, patting Danny on the back.

"O-okay, uh, sure. Um, yeah, right! I'll go get some rest!" He took off the Fenton Weasel and placed the Fenton Finder on top of it. "I'll uh, see you guys later until dinner then! Bye!" Danny said, feeling a little bit better, but still not certain.

He began to walk away from his parents and trekked through the hall, finding a stairway along the way. He climbed up the stairs, up to the second floor and walked a long ways to his room. He used his key, and entered the room, and walked over to his bed and plopped onto his mattress.

'_Yeah…maybe some sleep will do me good.' _Danny thought as he took his shoes off with his feet and got comfortable. No less than fifteen minutes, he drifted off to sleep…

. . . . . .

The door to the bathroom went unnoticed and was partially opened…until it closed…silently by itself…

* * *

After watching Danny go, Jack turned to Maddie and said, "So…was Danny ghost hunting with you?" he asked innocently.

Maddie turned her attention to her husband, "Oh! Well, he _was_, but that was until my Fenton Printer wasn't working. I had to go to the RV get some tools to fix it, but it started working even when I was about to put a screwdriver into it."

"Oh…well, alright." Jack said quietly, looking at the floor with a frown.

Maddie noticed her husband's demeanor, and asked, "Honey, is everything okay?"

Jack sighed, "Well, I wanted to spend time with Danny, you know? Just some good ol' father and son bonding! Like probably talk about what his favorite sport is, or what's his favorite hobby, or…you know, when push comes to shove, girls."

Maddie's eyes widen on the last part.

Jack noticed her expression and raised his in hands defense, saying, "Whoa, hey, I know he knows about the birds and the bees! I mean, I told him, for goodness sakes!" He shivered as he shook his head. "Woo, that's a road I don't want to go down again…"

Maddie then smiled. "Jack, come on now, your son knows that you love him dearly."

"Well, yeah, of course I do, and I know he does, but I like to feel as if I'm there for my kids, you know?" Jack put a gloved hand through his hair. "I just feel like he's been avoiding me…"

Maddie frowned, "Avoiding you? What do you mean?"

"Well…every time I try to invite myself to help him out, he just seems to push me away. He does act like he knows what he's doing half the time…which makes me feel very proud of him though!" Jack said with a small smile. "But…I want to be there with him if he does know what he's doing…" He went back to a frown.

His wife saw her husband's sad frown and said, "Aww, Honey, I'm certain he wants to spend time with you. He probably just wants to do his hunting all by himself for a little while. Give him some time, Sweetie." Maddie reassured him.

Jack's frown turned to a thoughtful one. "Well…" He then looked back up at his wife with a big grin. "Alright then! You're probably right!"

Maddie smiled sweetly at him. "Now, why don't we finish the day by hunting down some ghosts?"

"Sounds good to me!" Jack said happily.

* * *

In the hours of the day, Danny, his friends and family all went through the day just averagely. Around 5:30, they left the hotel to eat out again and explore a little bit of the town. They arrived back around 8:18 and decided to call it a night afterwards around 8:30.

Not much was done today, ghost catching-wise. But hopefully, Danny will help out as much as he can to catch these sneaky ghosts with the help of his Mom and Dad, superhero ego excluded. Tomorrow _is_ another day…

* * *

**-oOo-**

**8:50 PM**

**-oOo-**

In Danny and Tucker's room, they were both dressed for bed. Tucker, in his pajamas, was relaxing on his bed, surfing away on his PDA, while Danny, in his pajamas as well, was watching TV in the den area.

All was quiet – save for the TV playing – when Tucker, without looking up from his PDA, said, "So…now that we're away from your folks', what else did you find today?"

Danny turned to his friend and blinked. "Well…" Danny paused for a second to think how he should say it. "I heard more voices…and some music…I think."

That answer made Tucker look up at Danny with a raised eyebrow. "Uh…music?"

"Yeah…it was in the ballroom." Danny said, as he thought about it.

"The ballroom? Did your ghost sense went off by any chance?" Tucker inquired.

"Well, they were just noises. My ghost sense goes off when they're only _ghosts _around." Danny said…though he paused once again.

He just remembered something…

"Wait a minute…" Danny whispered to himself.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Anyways, that's all I encountered."

Tucker looked at Danny strangely. "O…kay." He shrugged. "Well, whatever dude."

Danny nodded, really ignoring Tucker as he thought about the one thing that he didn't noticed all day that he _should _have noticed.

When he was holding the Fenton Finder at the ballroom while it was on…

…It didn't detect his ghost half…

'_But…how?' _Danny thought, at a loss of words. The Fenton Finder was _always _pointing at Danny! But now…

Was it a malfunction? He hadn't heard from the ghost finding device making any indication that it found any ghosts…

Danny shook his head. _'I'm not going to worry about it. It's nothing…' _He then remembered something else. _'Oh yeah! I got to call Dick! Now would be a good time to do so!' _He glanced over at Tucker, who was still absorbed in his PDA. _'But not right now. I got to wait until Tucker goes to sleep.' _He's thinking of using the landline phone in the lobby to call him.

He turned off the TV and got up from the couch to walk over to his bed in the bedroom area, and opened up the covers to get under them.

"Going to bed?" Tucker asked.

Danny faked a yawned. "Yeah. A little exhausted from today."

"Okay. I'm just gonna do some last minute stuff on my PDA. Night Danny!"

"Alright. Night."

Danny shifted in his bed to get more comfortable…but not too comfortable…

* * *

**-oOo-**

**9:33 PM**

**-oOo-**

After a while, Tucker went to sleep, his snoring an obvious giveaway. Danny got out of the covers to sneak out of the room and into the dimly lit hall, via intangible, but not before getting Dick's number in the bedside drawer. He also sank in the hallways of the first floor – which was dimly lit as well - and walked through the hall into the lobby. He entered the long reception desk and found plenty of phones there to talk on. He looked at the cell phone number on the piece of paper and grabbed a phone. He punched in the numbers and waited for Dick to pick up…

_RIIIIING…_

_RIIIING…_

_RIIIING…_

'_I hope it's a good time to call…' _thought Danny.

_RIIII-"Hello?"_

Danny smiled. "Hey Dick! It's me, Danny."

"_Danny? You mean good ol' _Danny Phantom_?" _said Dick in a teasing voice.

Danny chuckled. "Yep, that's the one. You're weren't asleep, were you?"

"_Oh no, no! I'm just sittin' out on the deck in my room, is all! So, how's your stay at The Overlook so far?"_

"Oh, it's going pretty great! We're just relaxing and doing our usual things."

"_Well that's good! It's good to know that you and your friends and family are having fun over there without any ghosts scaring ya! Speaking of ghosts, did your parents catch any of them while you were there?"_

Danny scratched the back of his neck and said, "Well…no. We haven't really caught anything as of yet."

"…_Oh…"_ Dick was unusually silent on the other line.

"Oh, but we did experienced a lot of activity yesterday and today."

"_Oh! Well, that's good to know!" _

"Yeah! But um…I actually do have some questions I like to ask about the activity."

"_Really now? Well, alright then! Fire away."_

"Sure. Um…hey, uh, Dick, have you ever heard of any strange noises around this place?"

"…_Strange noises?"_

"Yeah, like…mysterious chanting and…music coming out of nowhere?"

Dick was once again silent.

"…"

"Uh…Dick?"

"_Oh, sorry Danny. I was just thinking. Um…yeah, I think…twice, I heard music coming out of nowhere, but…never chanting."_

"Really?" Danny said a little surprised. "Well…what do you make of that?"

"_Well, as for the music coming out of nowhere, these type of ghosts like to let you know that they're there, of course."_

'_Well, that _is_ true to a lot of ghosts…' _thought Danny.

"_But as for the chantin' thing…" _He seemed to stop for a second. _"I…really don't know…'_

"Oh…well, uh…heh, it's probably nothing! I mean, you did say they were mischievous, so they could be just trying to scare me, right?" Danny slightly chuckled.

"…_Oh, uh, yeah! Heh! Of course they were trying to scare you! It sounds just like them! Scarin' employees and whatnot!" _Dick chuckled as well on the other end.

Danny blinked at Dick's hesitant tone and heard how almost nervous it was. "Uh, Dick? Are you okay?"

Silence was on the other line.

"…Dick?"

"_Sorry, Danny. I was just…thinking again…about what that chantin' meant."_

"Oh…"

"…_Yeah, it was probably just nothin', Danny. Don't worry about it, they were just sounds. The only important thing is that you're alright and it didn't do anything to you."_

Danny blinked again. "Uh…okay…"

"_So, Danny, anything else you want to ask me?"_

"Oh, uuuh…" _'A lot actually.' _He wanted to ask him about the topiary ghost lion, or the fresh smell in his and Tucker's bathroom, or Jazz's experience.

However, he looked at the clock and saw that it was 9:49. _'I'll ask him about all of that tomorrow. I_ do_ need to get back…but before I go…"_

Danny smirked. "Actually, I do have two questions that I like to ask…"

"_Well go right ahead! What is it?" _

"Can you read minds through telephone, and, are there any hot beach women over there where you're staying in Miami?"

Dick let out a hearty laugh at the last question. _"Well, to answer the first one; nope, I can't, because I need to stare straight at the person to know what they are thinking__**(1)**__. And two;" _Dick laughed, _"Well, of course! It is Miami after all! Why do you think I like it here?"_

Danny let out a chuckle. "Well okay then." He grinned. "Thanks for the info, Dick! I appreciate it!"

"_No problem, Danny! Just call me when you need to know something, ya hear?"_

"Sure thing! Talk to you soon, Dick!"

"_You too, Danny!"_

Danny hung up the phone, and was about to exit out of the reception desk...

…Until Danny let out a cool breath.

He gasped.

"What the…_now_?" he said flabbergasted and frustrated.

Then he heard it.

Danny's eyes widened.

He heard…footsteps…fast footsteps.

He turned to his left. It sounded like it was coming from the hall. He hurriedly exited out of the reception desk and dashed to the entry of the first floor halls, passing the elevators.

He ran straight into the halls, hoping he can find the ghost. Danny couldn't hear the ghost's footsteps by his own running so he quickly changed to Danny Phantom and flew to hear its…

Danny stopped his flight in the middle of four conjoining hallways and slowly descended to the ground with a confused look on his face.

The sounds of the footsteps were gone.

Danny glanced around frantically, trying to see if he could _at least _spot a ghost in these half-lit hallways.

But he didn't found anything…he couldn't track, or _see _the ghost!

Danny clenched his teeth. He wanted to yell out in aggravation, but that would have waken everybody – well, maybe just the second floor – up.

Instead, he took a deep breath.

"Well, so much for that…" He said disappointed.

While he stood there, he glanced to his left to see the somewhat never-ending corridor, while glancing at the ones to his right, front, and back.

As Danny looked at all directions of the halls, he paused and came to a realization.

He was standing at a conjoined hallway...all alone…

Danny stood there, feeling an odd sensation in his chest.

Now, he doesn't know why - he _really _doesn't – but Danny felt a little…anxious. His eyes wary, looking back at all directions of the corridors again. He felt a strange sense of…alertness, and…slight alarm.

But why? He has ghost powers, he's practically a ghost himself, _and _he faced worst, but…

Something about being alone…in a big building…standing in-between conjoined hallways…where your mind plays tricks on you…and you don't know what comes around the corner as you past the hallway…

It does tend to make you a little uneasy.

And add to the fact that said building is haunted…

Maybe the atmosphere itself was just haunting…

Danny shook his head. "Okay…calm down. Seriously, you're Danny _Phantom_! Emphasis on 'Phantom'! You are not scared of something so minor! Now get it together, man!"

He took another deep breath, closed his eyes, mentally counted for three seconds, and opened them.

"Okay. Now that that is done and over with, I'm going to get some sleep." said Danny, feeling a little bit better.

Danny went intangible and flew up to the second floor, into his and Tucker's room, all the while changing back into Danny Fenton. He snuck over to his bed, got under the covers and slept.

* * *

The hallways have return to silence…

. . . . . .

…Soft music was playing somewhere in the background…

* * *

**[1] I don't know if that's true or not. I'm thinking that it's true, because Dick reads the minds of others when they're in his exact presence or something of the such, and since they're not in his presence while talking on the phone, I would think he doesn't read minds over the phone. But please correct me if I'm wrong, though. :P**

**Alright! Day Two has been finished! Sorry if the pacing's a little slow, but you can't rush these things! And don't worry, the beginning of the 'good stuff' will happen on Day Three! Just you wait! ;D**

**By the way, I changed my name to The Samurai Prince, just to let you all know! So even though I have a different name, I'm still the same guy, so don't worry everyone! :) **

**Again, please review! Once again, I would love to hear how I did! **

**(I also hope I didn't make anyone be OOC. I felt like I did at some parts, but tell me if I did or not. You can tell me, I'm a big boy! I'm a man! ...Just try not to be too harsh. DX )**


	11. Day 3: More Occurrences

**Before I begin, just to let you all know; I know there's going to be a sequel to 'The Shining'. When will it come out, I haven't checked, but for the sake of this story, please pretend this is an AU of sorts. Stanley Kubrick's film was pretty much an AU in itself actually(although I was irritated at the changes he made, he still did a good job of making it a pretty good horror movie.), so let's just use the power of our IMAGINATION and PRETEND this is an alternate universe, shall we? :D**

**Also, and I know this isn't really important, but I'm gonna tell you anyway, I edited chapter ten to call the Ghost Printer the Fenton Printer, as I thought it was a fitting, and they usually name their equipment after their last names. ;)**

**Alright, chapter eleven and Day Three, here we go! On this day, we'll get to see some of the ghosts from the Overlook(hopefully, keep your fingers crossed.)! **

**Wish me luck! :)**

**(Also, note that the fic is now rated M, just to be on the safe side.)**

* * *

**WEDNESDAY**

**11:45 AM**

* * *

Danny woke up once again, bed-head and all.

'Very_ comfortable beds.' _he thought as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

He sat up and turned to his right to see if Tucker was still in the other bed. Apparently, he wasn't. Danny turned his attention to see a note that was on the nightstand in between their beds. The piece of paper, which had _Overlook Hotel_ printed on it, said the following:

"_Hey Danny. Went to get some early grub in the kitchen. See ya at lunch!" - Tucker_

Danny blew out a sigh, got out of bed and stretched his joints. Once he was done stretching, he glanced at the door to the bathroom.

He stared at it for a while, wondering if he should do his daily morning routine…

Danny then remembered something; he hadn't taken a shower for two days.

His eyes widened.

'_Oh, crap.' _

Now, Danny can just ignore the shower, get dressed, and be on his ghostly little way for today, but the voice at the back of his head said his Mom wouldn't be pleased with that. When it comes to cleanliness, his Mom was very strict about it, and even if he did try to skip the shower, his Mom will still somehow find out.

It's a good thing he doesn't sweat when he becomes ghost, seeing as ghosts don't have sweat glands…at least…he doesn't think they do…

Danny groaned and rubbed his face with his hand.

'_Well, I really don't want to get into any new clothes feeling all unclean…and I'm Danny Phantom! I'm sure I can 'go ghost' in the shower if something happens…'_ Danny wondered if he can actually change into Phantom in the nude.

Danny blinked. He shook his head, sighed, and muttered, "Only one way to find out."

He went to his drawer and gathered some clothes in his hands, and bravely walked to the bathroom. It's not like he's scared, he's faced worse, it's just…well, due to the fact that he somehow can't sense anything in the bathroom, he admits that it was starting to get a little…creepy. Nothing inside was letting his ghost sense go off, he's been smelling some sort of nice fragrance and seeing odd things…it was bound to keep him on edge. At this point, he can guess that the activity in this room was in the bathroom.

He stopped at the door. He mustered up the courage, took a deep breath, and opened it, turning on the lights as he went in.

The hardwood floor stops to meet the small black and white octagon porcelain tiled floor. The black marble sink from the left side, the toilet from the right side, and the old fashioned tub in the back center came into view.

He set aside his clothes on the floor. He looked around to see if, once again, anything was showing up on his ghost sense. Seeing that there isn't, but still wary, he went to the bathroom rack left at the tub to grab a wash towel. He went over to the tub and turned on the water to get it to the right temperature and turned it on to the shower feature. Once he did, he stripped off his clothes.

"Okay…" he sighed. "Well, let's do this…" he muttered.

As he got in the tub/shower, the warm water collided onto his skin. He gave out a sigh of relief, the water perking him out of his slight fatigue. He then pulled the shower curtains that were hanging above the shower rack that was connected to the tub to hide himself from view.

He grabbed some fine complimentary soap, and started to use it on his wash towel, and began rinsing, rather quickly. He didn't want to stay here too long…

After a while of speedy washing, Danny grabbed some shampoo, and applied it to his hair. While lathering his hair, he thought, _'Hm. There's no weird activity. That's has to be good so far.'_

He kept washing his hair…

He then put his head underneath the shower nozzle…

. . . . .

. . . . .

…_Danny…_

As he was done washing his hair, he jumped straight and alert.

"Hello?"

. . . . .

…Everything was quiet…save for the water running.

. . . . .

"…Uh…" Danny said cautiously.

Everything was still quiet…

He heard a voice. He knew he did. It was loud enough even when the shower was running. It sounded…like a woman's voice…

. . . . .

. . . . .

…Danny turned off the water quickly. He pulled the curtains away and grabbed the towel at the bathroom rack. When he was about to hurriedly get out of the tub, towel in hand, he stopped in his tracks.

He shook his head vehemently and thought, _'Okay, _seriously_, you may be nude and vulnerable, but you're Danny Phantom! How many times do you have to remind yourself that? You are _not_ spooked out by this! It's just a voice!'_ He took a deep breath, wrapped a towel around his torso, and got out of the tub.

As he was out, he gave the bathroom a once over and said out loud, "Look, I know you're trying to tell me you're here, alright? You don't have to nearly ruin my shower because of it. I'm naked, wet, and I don't want to deal with this right now, _especially_ in the nude. …Which I have to say is very rude and creepy on your part. And whoever's in here should think twice, because I have something in my suitcase that you do _not_ want to meet." Danny glanced at each side and corner of the room to see if anything comes up. "…Alright. Now, I'm already done showering, so if you let me dry off _in peace_, I'll be on my way."

He only met with a ten second silence…

"…Okay. …Good." Danny nodded, though he was unsure if that was really the end of that.

And so, Danny used the towel around him to dry himself off. After that, he put on his clothes, all clean and fresh.

As he was about to leave the bathroom, fully clothed, he froze. He thought about the Fenton Thermos that he had almost forgotten about while staying here. He glanced back at the room behind him.

Maybe he could use the Fenton Thermos on the ghost in their bathroom…

…It was worth a shot.

'_I got time.' _thought Danny.

He quickly walked over to the bed area on the other side of the room to get his suitcase. Opening it up, he got out the Fenton Thermos. As he wielded the FT in his hand, he made his way to the bathroom.

Entering the room, he looked around the area to see any sign of activity or ghosts.

Danny began by saying, "Okay, look, nothing personal, but my parents are doing a job here cleaning out the entire hotel to make it free from any ghosts. I don't want to get aggressive, but so far, my Mom and Dad hadn't caught anything for two days, and it's getting very frustrating. So…" Danny paused. He didn't know how to word this right. "…Um, show yourself, so I can let the Fenton Thermos suck you…in?"

Silence…

Danny readied to untwist the cap on the Thermos.

More silence…

. . . . .

Danny thought of a different approach.

'_Well, maybe I should tell them the perks about living in the Ghost Zone…if there is any.' _he thought.

"…Alright, maybe I'm not being fair here. Listen, you don't want to stay in this hotel forever! Don't you want to be free and not be so…bunched up in on building?" He looked around the room to find some kind of answer that would suffice… "…Um…do you like the color green? Cause there's a lot green in the Ghost Zone…"

. . . . .

Danny stood his ground…

. . . . .

Deafening silence…

. . . . .

. . . . .

. . . . .

He sighed irritably. He really did NOT have time for this. Plus he was hungry. "Fine. Be that way. But don't think that I don't know that you're here."

Danny let his hand off the top of the FT as he made his way out of the bathroom. Trekking to the two bed area(while getting his key), he crouched to his suitcase to put up the FT. As he stood up and was about to make his way to the door, he took one last look at the opened entry to the bathroom.

He shook his head with an aggravated grunt and opened the door, exiting out of the room.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The sound of shower curtains shifting around can be heard…

* * *

**-oOo-**

**12:10 PM**

**-oOo-**

As Danny walked down the lobby stairs, he looked to his left to spot his mother carrying the Fenton Weasel and using the Fenton Finder around the east wing of the hotel lobby.

"Hey Mom." Danny said as he went to where her current position was.

Maddie turned around with a smile. "Oh, morning Danny! Well, I would say morning except it's not. So, good afternoon Danny!" she said with a giggle.

Danny smirked at the light humor his Mom made. "Heh, yeah. Want to get down here soon for lunch. So, any luck with the ghost hunting?"

Maddie sighed sullenly. "Well, I had a lead a while ago in the halls around here, but as soon as I followed it here in the lobby, it disappeared on me."

Danny frowned. "Oh…well, that's saying something, right? Ghosts are popping up at places when we at least expect it?"

Maddie smiled at her son's optimism. "I guess it is. At least we know that there's something paranormal going on around here for the last couple of days."

Danny nodded with a small smile. It was good to know that there were paranormal things happening in the old hotel. Why they can't come out is the question…

"Hey, Mom? Do you have any theory on why these ghosts aren't coming out?" Danny asked.

Maddie looked down in thought. "Hmm…well the only thing I can come up with is that these ghosts don't have enough power to conjure up their presence."

Danny blinked. "Have enough power? What do you mean?"

"Well, since these are not like the ghosts back at home, their ectoplasm energy is pretty weak here. Sometimes they might have the energy to summon themselves into view, sometimes they don't. When they do, they're just basically telling you that they're here." Maddie stated.

"Oh…" _'That makes sense, I guess.'_ he thought.

"Which makes me wonder if we can ever get this job done or not around Saturday…" Maddie said, looking a little crestfallen.

Danny noticed the expression on his mother's face and frowned sadly. He couldn't help but feel sorry his parents. Ectoplasm energy or not, they need to catch these ghosts so his parents can get paid or this whole trip was worth nothing. It's already the third day, and so far it sounds like they still haven't caught any ghosts. "I can still help out if you guys want me to…"

Maddie looked at her son with a sweet smile. "Oh don't worry, sweetheart. I'm completely hopeful we can catch these ghosts. I'm more worried about your father; you know how much he gets excited about these kinds of ghost hunts."

Danny inwardly winced. _'Oh man, that's right. Poor Dad…' _"Did he catch anything?"

Maddie again sighed. "Unfortunately, no. We got up around five in the morning, and worked ever since."

"At five in the morning?" Danny's eyes widened.

Maddie nodded. "Yep. Your father might be a little cranky when you see him, so approach cautiously."

"Oh…alright. Well…I'm going to eat lunch. Are you and Dad gonna come and eat sometime soon?" Danny said.

"Well, knowing your father, since he hadn't eaten any breakfast because he was ecstatic about ghost hunting, he would probably beat you to it." Maddie said as she gave out a small smile. "But I'll get something in a minute. Don't worry about helping today Danny, you just enjoy your vacation."

"Well…okay. I'll see you all later then."

"Alright Danny. Have a good lunch!" She said with a more eager smile.

"Thanks." Danny said as he made his way to the restaurant.

* * *

Jazz and Sam were in the restaurant just finishing their salad and about to take their bowls to the kitchen when Danny came in.

"Good afternoon Danny!" Jazz said with a sweet sisterly smile.

"Hey Danny." said Sam with a small smile as well.

Danny smiled and said, "Hey..." He glanced at their bowls. "Aw man, you two are finished already?" he said in disappointment.

Jazz and Sam blinked. "Um…yeah?" answered Sam.

Danny sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I just…um, Tucker's not around is he?" he questioned first.

The girls raised their eyebrows. Jazz shook her head, while Sam said, "No."

"Okay, so where is he?"

"I think I saw him go into the business room a while ago. Probably playing MMORPG's I would guess." Sam said with a slight roll of her eyes.

Danny blew out a sigh of relief. "Okay, good. That will take at least three hours." he half-joked.

Jazz blinked. "Is something wrong, Danny?" she asked.

"Yeah, what's up, Danny? Did something happened or…something?" Sam questioned.

Danny ran through his almost dried hair. "Well…I can say it's 'something'…is it okay if we sit down?"

The girls said "Sure." and laid their bowls on a different table as the three of them sat in one that was near to them.

When they sat down, Danny started, "Alright…it's about mine and Tucker's room."

"Uh oh." Sam muttered right off the bat. "I definitely know where this is going."

Danny continued, "Yeah. Anyways, I…well, I…" Danny blushed a bit. He just now realized that he had to tell his sister _and _his best friend, who is a girl, that he had a shower.

He didn't really think this through before he sat down…

"You what…?" Sam said as she realized that he was blushing a tad.

Apparently, so did Jazz. "Danny? What happened?" she said in concern.

"Um…" He paused for a second and said. "Okay, look, I was in the shower, and-"

"Wait a minute…you took a shower in your _active _room?" Jazz quietly exclaimed, her eyes widening. Sam immediately blushed a tad when this information was handed.

"Uh, yeah. Um, anyways-"

"A-are you okay?" Sam said after she shook the image out of her head.

Danny groaned in embarrassment. "Look, yes, I'm fine! It's just that I heard a voice when I was taking a shower, that's all."

"You heard a voice?" Jazz said in surprise.

"Yeah, and that's all. Nothing happened after that." Danny said.

"What kind of voice was it?" Sam said with interest.

"Well…it was a woman's voice, and…it called out my name." Danny explained.

Sam and Jazz glanced at each other in suspicion. They turned to Danny and Sam said, "So…this voice called out your name, and…that's it?"

"Yeah, I mean…the voice came out really soft…" Danny sees the uncertain looks on their faces and sighs, "Sam, Jazz, don't worry, I'm _fine_. Nothing happened to me. I even tried to coax the ghost into coming out of…wherever this ghost is hiding from into the Fenton Thermos. But apparently, that didn't work."

"Really?" Sam said, intrigued, as well as Jazz.

"Well, I waited for the ghost to come out, but she never did."

"You think it's a she?" Jazz inquired.

"I know it is. It sounded feminine."

"You think Tucker should know about this?" asked a cautious Sam.

Danny shook his head. "No, I don't think I should just yet."

"Why not?" Sam and Jazz both exclaimed, making Danny winced.

"Sam, Jazz, I really don't think this is a big deal." Danny tried to reason. "I mean, yes, _once again_, it was creepy, but I faced things that are _completely _worse than this. It's just a voice! It didn't attack me or anything. You remember what my parents said; they're just ordinary ghosts with NO ghostly powers."

Sam and Jazz blinked at Danny and glanced at each other again with raised eyebrows. They turned to Danny as Sam sighed and said softly, "I'm sorry Danny, maybe I was just overreacting a bit."

"Yeah…me too." Jazz hesitantly said. "We all keep thinking that these ghosts are like the ones back at home."

"Hey, it's alright." Danny shrugged. "We just gotta keep remembering that. They're just ordinary ghosts. I'm just telling you guys this to give you an update on what I experienced."

"Oh…okay." Sam said. "But what about Tucker?"

Danny sighed. "I'll probably tell him soon, maybe tomorrow. I just hope our 'guest' doesn't say anything."

Jazz looked thoughtful for a moment. She then said, "Danny, just wondering, but um…did your ghost sense went off while you were in the shower?"

Danny blinked at the question. He thought about it for a moment and said, "I…don't think so. I would have that cold feeling…"

"You mean your ghost sense _still _can't pick up anything?" Sam said shocked, with Jazz having the same expression.

"Well, actually, when you all went to bed, I did sense something last night after I was talking to Dick about the activity that was going on around here."

"You did?" Jazz asked as she put a hand to her chest and let out a breath of relief. "That's good to hear." She paused. "Wait…"

Sam, however, beat her to it. "You spoke to Dick last night?" she asked curiously.

"Well, yeah, I mean, he knows this place well, even though he doesn't know much about some things."

"Like what? Please tell me, because apparently, your _friend _over here lied and won't tell me the details." explained a sour Jazz.

Danny, once again, blinked at Jazz, and turned to Sam. "Wha…?"

Sam rolled her eyes and said, "Your sister wanted to know what was wrong when you came outside yesterday, and she told me to tell her what was wrong with you once I talked to you about it. All I said was 'mantra', and she's been nagging me ever since."

"She won't tell me anything else!" said an aggravated Jazz.

"Hey, again, you weren't specific." Sam smirked.

"…Wow. No wonder you wanted to split up with Sam at the town yesterday. And here I thought you two were just becoming good friends." said a befuddled Danny.

Sam scoffed. "Yeah right."

"Oh come on, Sam! Don't tell me we didn't do any girl to girl bonding! I thought I was rubbing off on you at one time!" Jazz said as she smirked.

Sam scowled at Jazz.

"Uh…" He supposed he could tell his sister about it. What's the harm it could do? Danny cleared his throat and said, "Well, as for your question Jazz, there was some…chanting in the basement."

Jazz eyes widened. "Chanting? Really? …What kind of chanting?" she asked almost fearfully.

"Now that, Dick and I don't know."

"He doesn't?" Sam piped in.

Danny shook his head. "No, he doesn't know anything about it." He turned to Jazz. "But don't worry, it didn't do anything to me." He lied. He hated lying to his friends and sister, but he doesn't want to worry them.

"Well…okay…" Jazz said, although it sounded uncertain.

"…Danny?" Sam eyed him suspiciously and curiously. "Are you _sure _it didn't do anything to you?" she said.

Danny mentally gulped. She's seeing past his defenses. "No, really, it hasn't done anything to me whatsoever." And that's partially true, once he thinks about it. Even though it probably made him dizzy after turning back into his human self, nothing happened after that. But he wasn't going to tell them so they can worry or speculate.

Sam kept looking at him to see if Danny was going to crack, until she gave up and sighed, saying, "Alright…"

"Okay, so…what do you think the chanting meant?" Jazz asked.

"Well, Dick said they were just being mischievous as usual…" Danny thought about it for just moment until he said, "Look, guys, again, don't worry. As long as I'm Danny Phantom, there's no danger here. Remember; 'ordinary ghosts'? They're probably just yanking our chains or something."

Sam and Jazz both were looking down to think about all the info they have been given. Sam began by looking up and saying, "Okay Danny, I'll take your word for it."

"Me too." Jazz said next.

"Good. All this talking is making me hungry." Danny said as he put his hand on his now growling stomach.

Sam smirked. "Well, go get some grub. We're all thinking of playing some croquet today. Do you like to come?"

Danny smiled. "Okay, sure! Just you, me, Jazz, and Tucker, right?"

"Apparently. I just hope Tucker doesn't rub it in our faces this time." said Sam irritably.

"Well, I'm going to read my book outside on the porch. See ya when you're finished Danny!" Jazz said as she got up and walked to the exit.

"I may do that as well, as reading a horror novel in a haunted hotel isn't the best thing to do. See ya Danny!" said Sam as she got up as well, and walked out to the exit.

Danny waved them off, got up, but stopped as he looked at the empty bowls that were on the adjacent table they were sitting at.

Danny scowled. "Aw man…"

* * *

**-oOo-**

**1:00 PM**

**-oOo-**

After rinsing out Sam and Jazz's salad bowls and enjoying and grilling his hamburger steak lunch(Dick was nice enough to lay out recipes on the counter during their stay.), Danny exited out of the restaurant and trekked to the recreational closet that was in the west wing.

'_I hate to lie to them like that, but this is a vacation.' _thought Danny as he was walking to where the closet is. _'Vacation's tend to have no worries.' _As he was about to reach the closet, he also thought, _'I might need to tell Sam, Jazz, and Tucker about that nice little info that Mom gave me. Although, it still irritates me that no ghost is popping up at this moment…"_

Danny was about to reach to the recreational closet and touch the doorknob, until…

…He felt a cold breath emitting from his mouth…

He froze.

Danny felt that he was being…watched.

…Someone was behind him…

Danny felt chilly all of a sudden…why, he doesn't know. Usually his ghost sense gives him chills, but nothing like this. There was no freezing after-affect when it happens. So why does he feel so…cold?

He turned around slowly to see who was behind him…

. . . . .

The ghost stood fifteen feet away from him in the hall that was in front of the closet. It was a man dressed in a formal black suit, black shirt and black pants, complete with a black cowboy hat. His face somewhat had a small smile, and he seems to not be floating like an ordinary ghost, as his feet are planted to the ground.

Danny once again froze.

'_It…it's a ghost! I don't…I don't believe it!' _Danny thought in excitement as he grinned widely.

The ghost just stood there, the same smile on his face.

'_Okay, the smile is a little creepy, but still, it's a ghost! …I think. He looks a little too human to be one. Now if I can just…' _Danny mentally face palmed. _'Oh man! That's right, I don't have the Fenton Thermos or a Fenton Weasel! How am I going to catch him?' _Danny tried to think of something. He couldn't call his Mom or Dad(although his Dad would love the news) on his communicators or he might scare the ghost away.

That is until the ghost spoke.

"Howdy there, Son."

Danny stopped contemplating and blinked at the ghost. "Uh…what?"

"I said 'howdy there'." The ghost said with the same smile, tipping his hat.

"…Um…howdy?" Danny said, unsure where this polite conversation was heading.

The black dressed cowboy smirked good-naturedly and said, "You're not from around here are you?"

Danny didn't know how to answer that. Was that a trick question? "…N-no?"

The ghost chuckled and said, "Well then, in that case, welcome partner! I hope you have a nice stay." He gave one last small smile and a tip of his hat before he turned around and…walked away?

Danny snapped out of his daze and said, "W-wait!" He can't let this ghost get away! His parents _need _to know at least that there was one in front of him! He quickly fished for his Fenton Phone out of his jean pocket, only to let it slip out of it at the last second. He cursed as he fumbled to get it. As soon as he got it, he put it in his ear and looked forward to see if the ghost was still there.

But unfortunately, he wasn't…he was gone.

Danny blinked. He began to dash through the hall that was in front of him to see if he could somehow catch up with this ghost.

As he ran several feet from the hall, he stopped at a conjoined hallway. He looked at the left hallway and the right hallway, trying to locate the casual looking cowboy ghost.

But he couldn't find him anywhere…

Danny grabbed two handfuls of his hair, and growled loudly and angrily. _'Darn it, darn it, DARN IT!' _he yelled loudly in his mind. _'I should have gotten the Fenton Thermos or at least done SOMETHING!' _He thrashed his arms a bit, releasing some anger.

After that, he stopped, calmed down, leaned against the wall, took a deep breath and let it out…

'_Well, at least a ghost finally appeared.' _thought Danny.

But Danny paused for a second.

"…Wait a minute…" he muttered, now realizing something.

His Mom said something about these types of ghosts…like their ectoplasm energy was weak here.

But if that was true, then why did he saw a full solid apparition? Speaking of a solid apparition, the ghost that he saw didn't look like the ones that were back at home. The ghost he encountered looked…human.

Danny shook his head. _'Maybe these are just different kind of ghosts. And I shouldn't think too much about this. I don't necessarily know the science of it all.'_

He _could_ track the ghost if he wanted to, but there were two problems; he didn't want his parents to locate him when he turns ghost, and it seems he _still _couldn't see these ghosts when they went intangible…which is weird.

But now, there was another reason he couldn't track the ghost.

"Oh yeah, the croquet game!" He almost completely forgot!

Before Danny turned around back to the closet however, he tapped the Fenton Phone to get his Dad on the line.

"Dad?"

"…_*static*…Hel-*static*-lo? Hello? Danny, are you there?" _said a tired sounding Jack.

Danny frowned. There was still interference. "Yeah I'm here, Dad."

"_Oh, hey Danny! How's your morning…or afternoon? Ugh, I'm so tired, confused, and hungry right now, I don't know what time it is! …Maybe I should've put my watch on."_

"Um…you know you could just go to the kitchen to eat something if you're hungry..." Danny said in concern.

"_Ah, thanks for the concern Sport, but a ghost hunter's job is never done! I have to keep hunting these ghouls like prey. And believe me, they'll wish they've never met ol' Jack! And let me assure you, I will not rest until I catch every ghost and ghoul in here!" _

Danny blinked. _'Wow, you got admire the dedication.' _"Uh, Dad?"

"_Yes, son?"_

"Um…I saw a ghost…"

"_YOU DID!?_ " Jack exclaimed, now sounding recharged.

Danny jumped and flinched from the sudden exclamation and readjusted his phone to say, "Um, yeah, over here at the west wing, near the recreational closet."

"_EUREKA! This is great Danny! Did you know where it went?"_

"Well…I can't say. It kind of…disappeared on me." Danny said, once again a little ashamed.

"_Oh that's okay Danny! What's most important is that a; you're not hurt, and b; YOU FOUND A GHOST! You said you're by the recreational closet? I'll be there right away! We can catch this little bugger together! I'll just-"_

"Uh, actually, I promised Sam, Tucker, and Jazz to play croquet with them, if…that's okay." Danny winced. For some reason, he just didn't like the way he said that…

"…_Oh! Oh, Well, of course Danny! Sorry, I just thought…" _Jack paused a bit. _"…N-nevermind, as long you're finding a sport to play, then that's great!"_

Danny winced again. "Uh, y-you know, I can…well, tell them to go on without me, and uh…and help you out."

"_Oh no, no, y-you go on! You need to have some good sporting activity! M-maybe some other time, champ!"_

And again, Danny winced. "Um…are you sure?"

"_Absolutely! Now don't let Sam, Tucker, and Jazz wait! You go on ahead! I'll find that ghost!"_

"Oh, uh, okay…well, I'll see you later Dad."

"_See you later too son!"_

And the lines were disconnected.

Danny groaned, letting him rub his face with his left hand. How can he feel so BAD?

'_Ugh, well, I can't wallow in self-pity right now. I do have a game to play after all.' _He thought shamefully to himself.

He took off the Fenton Phone and inserted it in his pocket. He went back to the recreational closet to get his croquet mallet and ball and headed back to the lobby.

'_Dad will probably tell Mom about the ghost, so I'll ask her about this ectoplasm energy deal after the game.'_ Danny thought.

He went through the lobby and went outside, where Sam and Jazz were sitting on the chairs on the porch. He took note that it was getting kind of reasonably chilly outside, due to the snowstorm coming their way.

"Hey Danny! Ready to go croquet-ing?" Sam asked as she lowered her book down.

"Almost. I got to talk you girls about something else, though." He said as he laid his mallet against the wall, while holding the ball.

Jazz lowered her book as well. "Really? What about?"

"Would you believe a ghost?"

Sam and Jazz's eyebrows rose up to the roof. "_Really_?" they said in shock.

Danny nodded, "Yep."

"What did it look like?" asked Jazz.

"Well, _he_ just looked like any other ordinary person. The person himself was a nicely dressed cowboy dressed in black."

"Dressed in black, huh? Sounds like a goth cowboy." joked Sam.

Danny snickered. "Kind of…"

"So, did anything happen while you encountered this…cowboy ghost?" Jazz questioned with a raised brow.

Danny scratched his head. "Well…he said 'howdy' to me and…well, he asked me if I was around here. After I said no, he told me that I hope I have a nice stay and…he left."

Sam and Jazz looked stupefied.

"…Wait, that's it?" said a bewildered Sam.

"Pretty much."

"Uh…okay…" Jazz blinked.

"Yeah, I was confused too. I guess these really are just your average, run-of-the-mill, ordinary ghosts." Danny said with a shrug.

"Huh…well that's…kind of a relief." Sam said, still a little stunned.

"Yeah…I wish we could meet ghosts like that." Jazz said with the same reaction as Sam. She then said, "But did you tell Mom or Dad about the ghost?"

"I told Dad about it, so we can bet he'll tell Mom about as well. And I guess we can rest assure that these ghosts are friendly, at least." He grabbed his mallet and said, "So…are you gals ready to play croquet?"

"I guess so." Sam said as she and Jazz got up from their chairs.

"Great. I'll just tell Tucker that we'll be starting the game up." As they were about to go back to the hotel, he said, "By the way, you girls forgot to wash your bowls."

"I know." Sam.

"I know." Jazz.

Danny blinked as Jazz and Sam looked at each other oddly.

"Well…great minds think alike then." Jazz said to Sam with a smile.

Sam smirked. "I guess they do."

And with that, the girls head in the hotel with a confounded Danny slowly in tow.

* * *

"Yes! Take that Basilisk!" said an enthusiastic Tucker.

Still in the business room playing an MMORPG**[1]**, Tucker was slaying virtual monsters and gathering virtual treasure.

'_Now to update my sword and I'll surely beat the Behemoth guarding the Giants Gate!' _thought Tucker ecstatically.

After getting his sword and teleporting to his desired location, Tucker directed his warrior to the next obstacle.

"Alright Behemoth, now it's your turn!" Tucker said as he controlled his character towards the monster.

And Tucker fought and fought the monster for at least twenty minutes, using spells and combat to weaken the computer graphic creature.

"Almost there…" Tucker licked his lips in anticipation.

He was about to deplete the HP meter, until the monster healed itself.

"Oh come on! Can't you just accept defeat?" Tucker exclaimed. Tucker then began thinking, _'Hmm, maybe I need to call out the big guns…'_

Tucker then let his warrior call out a spell, in which he called out, "Say goodbye, _Behemoth_!"

The spell hit the monster…only to have little health points left!

Tucker chuckled. "Heh heh! Try as you might, but I'm going to pass that gate to obtain that Celestial Armor!"

He looked in his arsenal of attacks, and picked the one that caused less damage.

"Once again, say goodbye, _BEHEMOTH_!" Tucker said with a satisfied expression on his face.

He selected the attack.

He clicked on it.

He waited for the climax of the attack to hit the monster…

…but the screen instantly changed.

Tucker blinked. "Wha…?"

The screen immediately changed to show…a bathroom?

Wait…it was a hotel bathroom…

Tucker's eyes widened.

The bathroom…looks familiar…

'_Isn't that our bathroom?' _

It was. The old fashioned four legged bathtub, complete with shower rack and shower curtains, was in view and has engulfed the entire computer screen. It's as if a camera was positioned in front of it, except there wasn't a 'REC' sign or anything that would clarify that it was a camera.

The curtains were closed…

Tucker shook his head and looked at the screen, puzzled. _'Uh…is this…ghostly activity?' _He might have to call Danny's Mom for this…

He let his right hand slid into his right pocket to get the Fenton Transceiver, not keeping his eyes off the screen.

As he was about to get out the walkie-talkie, he heard a noise.

It sounded like…water was sloshing?

Tucker froze his eyes widened more.

'_Wait…there's someone in the tub!'_

Tucker was actually very cautious at this point, not knowing what was going on…

He had to make out what was in the tub, since the curtains were closed. From what he could see at the overhead light on the ceiling above the tub, he saw a slight silhouette of someone sitting and laying in it…which sent chills down Tucker's spine.

'_Is this mine and Danny's bathroom?' _wondered an anxious Tucker.

The silhouette sat there...

…Until it got up…slowly.

…Tucker stared at the screen, curious on what was coming out. Should he be frightened? He probably should, but he looked at the screen with unknown strange curiosity and interest forming in him.

'_Who…?'_

"Who…?"

The silhouette figure stood in the tub…the figure looked like…

…A woman.

The womanly figure turned to face Tucker and extend her right arm out to grab a handful of the shower curtain…and slowly pulled it to her left.

Tucker stared…and his mouth dropped just a little.

The curtains were pulled to reveal…

…A beautiful, _nude _woman.

Tucker once again stared…emotions stirring inside him.

Surprise, confusion, awe…

But most of these emotions faded away with excitement…

He was aroused.

The woman, with her long, soaking wet, stringy blonde hair that cascaded onto her back, stood there in the tub…staring directly at Tucker.

The woman had magnificent curves, an hourglass figure, a slender belly, beautiful legs, full breasts, and from what Tucker can see in an angle, a round bottom.

It was like looking at a goddess…

Tucker stood at the woman, a dazed grin on his face.

The woman stared back at him….and got out of the tub.

Tucker tilted his head to the side, still in a daze.

The woman looked at him with a sultry look that was tantalizing.

…She then smiled seductively.

The woman raised her hand to touch and grasp her right exposed breast.

Tucker's eyes widened.

The woman then put her left index finger to her lips, as in to tell him to shush.

The fourteen year old boy looked on quietly, obeying the command.

As the woman was about to move her left hand downward over her left breast and down to her belly…

A door opened.

"Hey Tuck."

Tucker snapped out of his daze and turned his head to the right to see where the voice came from.

It was Danny, who opened the door to the business room, and was carrying a croquet mallet in his hand.

Danny looked at the dazed Tucker with an odd look and blinked. "Uh, is 'Fantasy Realms' frying your brain again, dude?"

Tucker shook his head. "U-uh…" He turned his head back to look at the screen…

…Only to see that it was back to the MMORPG, with his warrior standing there, awaiting for the controller to direct him.

'…_Huh?' _"What…?" Tucker sat there in a confused daze.

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Um, Tuck, I think you might need to stop playing those online games for a while. Sam, Jazz, and I wanted to get you out of there so you can come play croquet with us."

Tucker was registering what Danny was saying now, "U-uh, um…oh yeah! Sure! I can get out for a while! Sorry, I think my brain _is_ a little fried. I'll go get a mallet and ball!" he chuckled as he stood up from his chair.

Danny smiled. "Okay then. Me and the girls will wait for you in the lobby."

"Sure thing! I'm just gonna sign out here, and I'll be there in a couple of minutes!"

"Cool. Oh and Tuck, be sure to put on something warm, the weather has gotten chilly today."

"Will do!"

And with that, Danny left.

Tucker turned back to the computer to log off his account in the game. As soon as he did that and began to walk out of the business room, he stopped.

Tucker blinked. _'Was I…looking at something a while ago? I mean, I was looking at the screen, but…' _

He tried to remember if he did…it's as if he had a weird case of déjà vu.

He shook his head. _'Nah, it was probably nothing.'_

And so he left the room…

* * *

**-oOo-**

**2:45 PM**

**-oOo-**

Before they set up the court and played the game, they told Tucker about the ghost Danny saw, in which surprised and made Tucker cautious. But after they told him about the behavior of the ghost, he calmed down just a little. After that, they all played three games of competitive croquet, with Tucker the victor out of all of them. When the third game was finished, they decide to call it quits for the day and head back to the hotel.

"I gotta admit, you guys almost got me, but no can stop this ol' playa!" Tucker boasted.

Danny and Sam rolled their eyes.

"At least he didn't gloat too much this time around." Jazz whispered to Danny and Sam in-between them as they walk behind Tucker, heading towards the hotel.

As they entered the hotel, they see Maddie using the Fenton Printer in one hand, while holding the Fenton Weasel's nozzle in the other.

Danny could only guess that his Dad had told his Mom about the ghost that he had seen. "Hey Mom. Did Dad tell you about the ghost I saw?"

Maddie smiled at her son. "He sure did! Thank you so much Danny!" Maddie said happily. She turned her attention to the other kids, and said excitingly, "Did Danny tell you kids that he found a ghost for us?"

"Yep, he sure did." Jazz smiled.

Maddie squealed quietly, "I couldn't believe it when I heard it the first time! This could be our big break! We're trying to locate it right now as I speak!

"You guys are still trying to locate it?" said Danny, his eyes wide.

"Yes, but don't worry, we'll find it hopefully!" said Maddie.

"Did you try investigating every nook and cranny?" asked Jazz. Danny, Tucker, and Sam turned to her with questionable looks. Jazz looked at them and said, "What? It seems like something a ghost would do."

Maddie smiled at the suggestion. "We did look at where Danny said it was last, but nothing popped up. But as I said, we'll find it eventually!"

"Oh, well…I hope you and Dad catch it. I swear I saw a ghost." Danny put up his hand as if saying an oath.

"Oh I know you did, Danny! You wouldn't lie about something like this."

Danny smiled. He then remembered, "…Oh! Also, what do you think about the ghost just appearing as of now?"

Maddie's face twisted into a thoughtful frown. "Hmm…all I can come up with is that this ghost probably had enough ectoplasm energy to be seen."

The rest of the kids were confused.

"Wait…huh?" said Tucker.

Maddie explained, "Oh, well you see kids, these ghosts are not like the ones back at home. Since these ghosts are the 'haunting' type, they need to use their harnessed ectoplasm energy so that they can be able to do things to let people know that they are here. Ectoplasm is not only a life force, but it's also an energy. So the more energy they gather, the more their presence can be seen. Does that make sense?"

Tucker, Sam, and Jazz each looked at one another. They all said their replies at once, "I think it kind of does." "Yeah, I think it makes sense." "Makes perfect sense to me!"

"Well, we're going to put up our equipment now. Again, I hope you and Dad catch that ghost!" said Danny.

Maddie smiled. "Fingers crossed! Here's hoping!"

The kids said their 'byes' to Maddie as they began to walk to the west wing of the hotel to the recreational closet to store up their croquet equipment.

* * *

**-oOo-**

**4:00 PM**

**-oOo-**

Jack and Maddie still haven't found the ghost.

The kids all did their things as time went by. As of now, they're in the lobby; Danny lounging lazily on the right end of the plush couch, playing a handheld video game console, while Tucker was sitting casually on the other side of the couch, playing with his PDA, Sam sitting on a plush chair, reading her horror novel, sitting opposite of the boys, and Jazz sitting on another plush chair, reading her suspense novel, was also sitting opposite of the boys.

After the flashing 'Game Over' sign came up on the screen, Danny groaned quietly.

Jazz lowered her book down with an annoyed expression. "Must you do that?"

"Can't help it. Bowser's being a pain." Danny simply said as he turned off the game. "I'm done for now anyways."

They all sat there for a while…

Jazz took a break from reading her book and looked at the time on her watch. Her eyes were wide when she looked at the time. "It's four o'clock. I can't believe it's that time…"

"Time flies by when you're vacationing." Tucker noted, not looking up from his PDA.

"I wonder if Mom and Dad caught that ghost yet?" wondered Danny.

"Why not ask them?" Tucker inquired.

Danny sighed, "I can ask, but I don't want to feel like I'm bothering them."

"You know, they've been searching for a good while." Sam lowered her book down as well. "I mean, it's just one ghost…"

That questioned was left unanswered.

They all sat in silence…

. . . . . . . . .

They heard someone coming.

Danny and the gang turned their attention to the right side of the lobby, in which the footsteps belong to Maddie. She walked into the lobby looking perplexed.

"Mom? Did you and Dad found the ghost?" Danny asked.

Maddie snapped out of her perplexed daze and as she almost passed the kids. "Oh! Danny, kids. Um…"

"Mom? Is everything alright?" Jazz asked in concern.

"…Excuse me kids, but can I talk to Danny for a second?" Maddie said.

The kids, plus Danny, blinked and glanced at each other.

"Is something wrong?" Danny asked, feeling a little bit of worry.

"No, it's just…well, could you come over here for moment, sweetie?"

"Uh…okay." Danny got up from the couch and navigated his way over there to follow his mother to the center foyer/entrance of the halls, near the elevators.

"Now Danny…" Maddie said quietly as she paused. "…Look, sweetheart…you wouldn't _really _lie to us about seeing a ghost, would you?"

Danny was taken aback. "What?"

"Now honey, before you say anything, I believe you. You wouldn't make something up like this, seeing as we we're getting paid for this job, but it's just that…well, we haven't been able to track this ghost you mentioned for a while."

"You haven't?" Danny said in disbelief. "M-Mom, I swear I saw a ghost!"

"Danny, don't worry, I absolutely believe you. But your father is beginning to think that you didn't see a ghost at all to begin with."

"What?" Danny said again, this time eyes wide. "B-but I did!"

"Now wait a minute, that isn't saying your father didn't believe you either, dear." Maddie interrupted. "It's just that he's been searching for two hours with no break, and mind you, and I've already eaten something, but…your father hasn't. And also, along with waking up early, he's getting a little cranky, and when he gets cranky, he says things out in the open…like, you 'pulling our leg'…"

"But I'm not pulling anyone's leg!" Danny said frustrated.

"Honey, I know. Your father is just feeling moody right now."

Danny couldn't believe the situation that was happening. His Dad didn't believe him? And this ghost _still _isn't appearing? He looked down at the floor in thought.

Maddie took Danny's gesture as partial to his father not believing him and said, "Oh Danny, sweetie, look I'm sorry I said that." she grabbed his shoulders, - in which startled him - and looked at him affectionately. "I just felt like I needed to ask you about it so I can tell your father on what you said to me."

"O-oh…" _'Just play along, she didn't really misunderstood what I was thinking.'_ Danny stood there quietly, until he said, "Where is he?"

"He said he was near the ballroom." confirmed Maddie.

"Well, would it be okay if I were the one to tell him that I did see ghost?" Danny asked.

Maddie's eyes were downcast and looked like she was considering the thought. She looked at her son and sighed, saying, "Okay Danny. Just approach him cautiously, again, he's moody. And what I said for your father does not mean that he doesn't believe you. He does, don't you worry. And I know I said this a thousand times, but I really do believe you, sweetie. You sounded very earnest when you told us about this ghost, so I knew you wouldn't lie to us about it." she finished with a sweet smile.

"Thanks Mom." Danny said sincerely with a small smile as well.

Maddie let go of Danny as he walked down the hall to the east wing to where the ballroom is.

* * *

Danny was walking over to his destination, thinking along the way.

'_I can't believe Dad would think that I lied. I mean, I shouldn't make a big deal about this, but still…it hurts.' _It was like that stupid Youngblood fiasco all over again. At least his Mom believes him…he thinks.

He shook his head as he reached the entrance to the ballroom. He finds his father sitting and slouching on one of the benches, looking rather depressed.

Danny frowned sadly. _'Man…poor Dad.' _He furrowed his brows. _'I need to do something about this. This has gone long enough.' _

He made his way over to where his Dad was sitting. Jack heard the footsteps and looked to his right to see his son walking towards him. Danny noticed as he went closer to his Dad that he looked very tired, with slight fatigue when he glanced at him.

"Oh, hey son…" Jack said with a smile.

"Hey Dad…" Danny paused to think of how to say the next sentence. "Uh…I heard that you haven't caught that ghost yet. I'm sorry." Danny instantly wanted to smack himself aside the head.

Jack's smile turned to a small frown. He turned his head back to the floor with a sad sigh.

Danny couldn't let his Dad be like this. "Dad, I swear I saw a ghost! I wouldn't lie to you about something like this, since, you know…you're getting paid and whatnot!" Danny said desperately.

Jack's head perk up and turned to his son in confusion. "What?"

Danny winced, "Well, Mom said that you thought I was lying about the ghost. Something about 'pulling yours and Mom's leg'."

"Oh…_oh_." Jack then looked down at the floor in pity. "She told you that, huh?"

They stood there in silence…

Jack sighed, "Danny, I'm sorry for what I said; I'm just really irritable lately because there are no ghosts coming out! It's like they're _really_ hiding! We need to find some ghosts soon, or this vacation is a bust! I mean, I'm enjoying the time here, but a job's also a job, and we gotta get paid too!"

Danny nodded, understanding his father's predicament.

"So…yeah, Sport, I say things I don't mean when I'm…"

"Cranky?" Danny tried to fill in.

Jack laughed a little bit. "Yeah! That's the right words for it!" He then gave him a sad frown. "Danny, again, I'm really sorry. I really do believe that you saw a ghost. I mean, you've been great help so far at this whole trip."

Danny smiled. "Thanks. And don't worry about it, Dad."

Jack sleepily smiled as well.

Danny then said, "Why don't you get some sleep first? Then afterwards we'll get something to eat?"

"Oh no Danny!" Jack said, alarmed. "A ghost hunter's work is never done! I have to keep on pushing!"

"Dad, I don't think you should push yourself at all in your state." Danny thought for a second. "Maybe I can help you again."

"Wha? You will?" said Jack, eyes full of hope.

"Sure."

"Well, that's great!" Jack exclaimed as he stood up. "I'll go get the gear out of the RV!"

"Wait, no, I meant for me to-" But Danny never got out another word out as Jack rushed through the halls with renewed vigor. Danny just stood there, incredulous.

'…_Well…at least I cheered Dad up.'_ He thought, blinking.

* * *

Danny rushed back to the lobby to meet up with his Mom, sister, and friends.

Tucker was the first to say, "Dude, I just saw your Dad rush by! What did you say to him?"

"That I was going to help him with the ghost hunting again." Danny said as he sat back on the other side of the couch.

Maddie grinned, "Really? Well, that's great, Danny! Maybe then he'll get some well deserved rest."

"Well…actually he still wants to ghost hunt…"

"He does?" Maddie said surprised, and then frowned with a sigh. "That man…he really needs to learn to relax! I'm gonna have a talk with him." She then made her way out of the hotel, leaving Danny and the gang.

Jazz spoke first, "So what did Mom wanted to talk to you about? She never told us what it was."

"Well…Mom said they still haven't found the ghost that I mentioned."

"They still haven't!?" Sam said incredulously.

"Oh dude, sorry man." said an empathic Tucker.

"Yeah, and I have to convince Dad that I did see a ghost."

"Really? Dad didn't believe you?" Jazz said with raised eyebrows.

"Well, Mom said he thought I was joking, but she said he was just cranky. We resolved it, so don't worry. I mean, you guys did saw him run to the RV." Danny added.

"Oh…okay. But…this ghost is still not appearing…why _now_?" Sam asked in wonder.

Danny scratched the back of neck. "How am I to know? Something about ectoplasm energy or something…"

Jack and Maddie then came back in the hotel, with Jack handling a Fenton Weasel and coming towards him saying, "Alrighty Danny! Here's your equipment!"

As soon he shoved it into his son's hands, Maddie said, "Jack, seriously, at least eat something to preserve your energy!"

Jack was about to counter, when his growling stomach made noise. He looked down at his stomach and sheepishly chuckled, "Well…" he sighed. "Okay, fine. I do want something to eat in the meantime, but…could you fix it for me, please?" Jack gave Maddie pleading eyes.

Maddie rolled her eyes with a smile. "Alright Jack. I'll let you choose one of Dick's recipes on the counter, how about that?"

"Great!" Jack turned to Danny. "Alright Danny-Boy! You can relax right now, but once I have something to eat, we'll get started!"

"Sure thing Dad." Danny gave him a 'thumbs up', and at that, Jack and Maddie left the lobby.

As soon as they left, Sam then turned to Danny and said, "Hey Danny, your Mom mentioned that we should go into town and find a hiking trial and go hiking around five. Do you feel up to that?"

Danny thought about that, "Well, considering that I'll be ghost hunting in just a bit, we'll see. What about Dad?"

"Well Mom is thinking of letting Dad sleep in the hotel so he can have some well deserved sleep." Jazz informed.

Danny frowned. "Really? That doesn't seem fair."

"Danny, I'm with Mom on this one. Believe me; I woke up earlier than you did. When I told Dad good morning, he looked so out of it, I wouldn't be surprised that a ghost slipped right through him."

"Well, it's a miracle I got him wired again then." said Danny as he thought about his Dad. "…I guess we can let him have some sleep while we go out. It's just that he'll be all alone in this hotel, and…" he sighed. "I don't know, I might actually need to think about going before I leave Dad here."

"Well, it's up to you, Danny." said Tucker. "We won't be offended or anything if you want to keep helping out your Dad."

"Thanks." Danny said. He glanced at the stairs and said, "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Sam asked.

"To mine and Tucker's room to call and talk to Dick for a moment. I need to ask him about the ghost I saw. I'll tell you all the details later."

And so he got up from the couch and dashed to and up the stairs to the second floor.

* * *

He entered the room and closed the door behind him. He then went to the living area and picked up the landline phone, about to dial Dick's number, when he remembered the door to the bathroom was still opened, as he saw it across the room.

Danny scowled. He went over to the door and closed it. He knew it really wouldn't matter due that the ghost would probably just phase through, but it makes him feel like he at least has some privacy. He then went back to the phone. He would've just use the landline phone in the lobby, but he really could use the privacy to concentrate, no offense to his sister, Sam, and Tucker.

He dialed the numbers and waited Dick to pick up.

After the second ring he heard, _"Hello?"_

'_True to his word.' _thought Danny with a smirk as he sat on the couch. "Hey Dick, it's Danny! How's it going?"

"_Oh hey Danny!"_ said a happy Dick. _"I'm doing good! I'm just loungin' around in my room!"_ he chuckled. _"So, what's up?"_

"Well…I saw a ghost." Danny said simply.

"_You did!? That's great Danny!" _exclaimed Dick, genuinely glad. _"What did the ghost look like?"_

"Well, the ghost just looked like any ordinary person. He was a black dressed cowboy…any idea who he might be?"

"…_He looked like an ordinary person? What do you mean by that?" _Dick sounded…worried?

Danny blinked. Why did he want to know that? He thought he was pretty clear on what he said. "Uh…he just looked like you and me, pretty much. My ghost sense picked him up, so I'm pretty sure it was a ghost…do you know who he is?"

"…Oh! Sorry Danny! I was uh…" Dick was silent for only a second. "Uh, yeah, about the ghost…I don-"

Silence on the end of the phone.

"…Dick? Hello?" Danny said with concern.

"…"

"Dick?"

"…"

"Dick, are you there? Hello?" Danny called out a little louder.

…A dial tone replaced the other line…

Danny looked at the phone in puzzlement. _'The call dropped…' _he tried again, pushing in the numbers.

After the first ring, Dick picked up again. _"Danny? Is everything okay?"_ He sounded…frightened?

"U-uh, yeah, I'm fine!" Danny said, taken aback from Dick's tone.

"_Oh! Oh, well…excuse me, Danny, I'm just…I'm just not used to drop calls, heh…" _Dick said with a somewhat uneasy chuckle.

"Oh…well, no problem." said Danny shrugged, albeit in confusion.

"_So, um, did your parents catch this ghost?" _Dick wondered.

Danny blinked again. "Um…weren't you telling me about the ghost?"

"…_Oh, yeah! Sorry Danny, mind's in the clouds, heh! I, ah…*ahem*…um…"_ he paused as if trying to think about it. _"…I…really don't know, Danny. I've been working at the Overlook for at least four years now, and I'm just now recently trying to learn things about the hotel."_

"Really?" Danny responded curiously.

"_Yeah…" _

. . . . .

Silence was on the other line again, making Danny think the call was dropped again. He was about to say something to see if Dick was still there, when Dick said, _"Is there…any other powers that you have, Danny?"_

"Any other powers?" Danny said, again in confusion. "Well, I got a variety of attacks in my arsenal, if that's what you're saying."

"_No, I meant any other powers, besides being a half ghost?"_

Danny blinked for a third time. "Wha? Uh…no." He said, unsure on where this change of topic is going.

"…_Danny, did your parents capture any ghosts?"_ Dick said again, but this time his tone was serious.

"Um…no, unfortunately."

…Silence again…

"Dick?" Danny said in a worried tone.

"_S-sorry Danny, I'm just…worried that your parents won't be able to get paid for capturin' any."_

"Oh…" Danny then chuckled. "Hey, don't worry about that, Dick! I mean, I'm about to help my Dad with the ghost hunting in a moment, so I'll be on the watch for them."

"_You are? Oh, well that's great to hear! Then I better let you be on your way then!" _Dick said with renewed relief.

"Um…actually, there's more stuff I want to ask you about…"

"_Oh! Well, alrighty then! What do you need to ask?"_

"Well…" Danny thought of the various things he would like to mention. The topiary lion was out, since it was probably just a ghost lion prowling about. Jazz's experience was out too, since it was proven today that there were ghosts in the hotel. The scent and the ghost in Tucker and his bathroom however…

"Are you sure you don't know what happened in mine and Tucker's room?" he inquired.

"…_Well…to tell you the truth…" _Dick stopped there for a moment, until he said, _"…I never really checked out the room myself. I was…well, I was scared."_

"Scared?" Danny eyes widened. "Of what?" he asked.

"_Oh nothing, really, I just…well, you know, I'm an old man, I'm afraid I might have a heart attack or something if I find whatever is in the room you and your friend are staying at."_

"Really?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "Well so far, there is a ghost in the room, but…it hadn't appeared. I mean, wouldn't worry too much, it doesn't seem very violent or anything. And I got something in my suitcase to capture it with if it comes out."

"_Oh…well, okay!" _Dick chuckles. _"That eases my nerves! Thanks Danny!"_

"No problem." Danny smiled. He then remembered one last thing before he was gone. "Oh! Um, one last thing…"

Dick chuckled again at Danny's pause. _"Go ahead."_

"Alright then. Do you know anything of ectoplasm energy?"

"…_Hmm…kind of. Why?"_

"My Mom was explaining something about the ghost not having too much ectoplasm for them to appear. But now since one of the ghosts is appearing in broad daylight, it seems like from what I hear, their ectoplasm is strong. Do you have any theory on that?"

. . . . .

"Dick?"

"_Sorry Danny, just thinking…umm…I have to admit Danny, I'm not familiar with this type of field. But…I'll tell you one thing, Danny. …Be _very _careful." _

Danny blinked, taken aback by what he said. "Be careful? O-of what, the mischievous of the ghosts?"

"_Oh yeah, of course! Just…you know, be careful of them mischievous ghosts."_

"Uh…don't worry Dick, I will." Danny said to reassure him. He feels like something is bothering Dick, but he can't be quite sure…

"_Well, you said you were gonna help your father out sometime soon, so I don't want to get in the way with that!"_

Danny looked at his watch. 4:20 PM. "Uh, yeah, I think I do better go. It was nice talking to you again, Dick!"

"_Heh, nice talking to you too, Danny! Good luck with the ghost huntin'!"_

"Thanks! See ya later, Dick!"

"_You too! Bye!"_

"Bye."

And with that, Danny hung up the phone, got up from the couch, and made his way out of his room.

* * *

Dick set aside his cell phone on his hotel bed. He looked at the floor, deep in thought.

"…I'll wait until tomorrow." He thought aloud. "I'll see how things are…if Danny doesn't call and if something _does _happen before the snow comes…" Dick looked to his left to see the TV that displayed 'The Weather Channel' showing different weather conditions across cities.

"…_some heavy snow will be dropping around some areas of the Rocky Mountains very early Friday morning, around 2:00 AM, so for anyone wanting to sight-see…"_

…Dick sighed. "Lord…" he prayed. "...please don't let it be another repeat...watch over Danny, his family, and his friends…"

* * *

Danny walked through the second floor halls, and to the waiting area near the elevators to see none other than Sam, Jazz, and Tucker waiting for him.

"Guys?" he said in surprise.

"We came up to see what the update is." said Sam, who was sitting next to Tucker on one of the benches.

"Yeah! What did Dick say?" asked Tucker.

"Oh. Well…he didn't say anything that was useful. He basically was stumped like me."

"Really?" Jazz and Sam said in unison.

"For real? Aw man, that sucks." said a disappointed Tucker.

"Yeah…" Danny said as he scratched the back of his head, looking at the floor.

They heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs as they diverted their attention to see none other than Jack, carrying his Fenton Weasel and all other sorts of gadget on his belt with a happy grin on his face.

"Alright Danny-Boy, get your Fenton Weasel and let's get going! I'm stuffed and energized and ready to catch that ghost!" Jack then noticed Jazz. "Oh, hey Jazzy! Say, do you want to come with us to hunt some ghosts too?"

Jazz blanched. "Um…n-no thanks, I'll just...read a book…"

"Oh…well, alright." Jack said. He then muttered something to himself like "I tried.", and turned back to Danny with the same grin. "Okay, Sport, you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." said Danny nonchalantly.

"Al-righty! Get your Fenton Weasel and meet me near the ballroom so we can plan out a tactic on where we need to hunt! See ya there, Danny!" Jack said as he went back down to the stairs.

Danny turned back to the gang and said, "You know guys, I think I'm going to help Dad with the ghost hunting while you all go trail hiking. I feel like Dad needs all the help he can get."

"That's fine, Danny. I'll tell Mom that you're going to stay here to help Dad." Jazz said with a smile.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. You got to do what you got to do." Tucker said, shrugging.

"Yeah. Just be careful and stuff." Sam smirked.

Danny smirked as well and waved them off, going downstairs.

* * *

Danny, with the Fenton Weasel on his back, met up with his father, who was standing near the benches and entrance to the ballroom.

"Okay! You ready, son?" Jack said as he stood

"Dad, I'm ready, don't worry." Danny said with a half chuckle.

"Great! Here's this belt of ghost capturing gadgets! Wrap this around your waist!" Jack said as he handed his son a belt full of gadgets.

"Uh…thanks." Danny said as he looked at the belt oddly and wrapped it around his waist.

No prob! Now, let's see…where would you like to investigate, Danny-Boy?"

"Me? Um…" Danny contemplated on where a good place for them to hunt should be. "Uh, I don't know; the halls around here for now?"

"Alright then! The halls it is! Let's roll!" Jack dashed off in to the northern direction of the hotel.

Danny chuckled at his Dad's enthusiasm as he casually followed him. It's good to see that his Dad was back to his old goofy self.

* * *

At five o' clock, Maddie and the kids said their 'goodbyes' as they went out nature hiking, while Danny and Jack were hard at work trying to find ghosts. For two hours straight, they searched each floor and each area to find the ghost Danny saw.

Time passes by…

* * *

**-oOo-**

**6:20 PM**

**-oOo-**

Danny was getting tired.

He's been walking his feet off and carrying gadgets for the past hours, and the ghost, _once again_, hasn't shown up.

'_This is getting beyond ridiculous.'_ Danny thought as he was sitting down on one of the benches in the halls, blowing out a sigh. He'd been waiting for a the same ghost, or _any _ghost for that matter to appear, but so far, nothing came up.

"You know, you _could _come out anytime…" he muttered irritably at no one…

He glanced right and he glanced left. The hall he was in looked like an ordinary elegant hallway, with mahogany molding on top, bottom, and on the door frames, brass sconces on each side of the walls, and with green decorative wallpaper.

He gave out a low grunt, and got up from his bench seat to locate his Dad, which through Fenton Phone, told Danny that he was in the other section of the halls west of the hotel.

Danny walked and walked to the other side of the hotel…

'_Now I'm getting _really_ peeved here. First a ghost decides to pop up, and next it decides to leave and make a stage exit! Why is this happening _now_? I never have this type of situation before, and it's ticking me off! Just...WHY ARE THESE STUPID GHOSTS NOT COMING OUT!?' _Danny yelled in his mind, growling at the sheer absurdity of it all.

Trying not to pull his hair out, he turned the corner to find his Dad…

…what he found, made him feel instantly sorry him.

He found his Dad, who was leaning his head against his left arm on the right side wall of the hallway, Fenton Weasel on his back, and Fenton Printer grasped in his right hand. From his slumping position, it was obvious that he was not happy.

Danny frowned sadly. He has to do something…but what can he do? He actually _tried __**everything**_, and even then it feels like these ghosts are just playing a cruel prank on them by not showing up.

He can only try to be optimistic for his father. …He just has to approach him cautiously.

"Uh…Dad?" Danny meekly said.

He moved his head to his right to see Danny in his view. He didn't give back a smile, not even a forced one. "Oh…hey Danny."

"Um…are you alright?" Danny winced, knowing full well that that was a stupid question.

"…" Jack let out a loud sigh. He turned his head back to the wall and said, "Why can't we catch any ghosts, Danny?"

Danny chose his words carefully. "I…don't know." Well, it was the truth.

Jack leaned there for a couple of seconds and pushed back into a standing position, turning to Danny. "Son…now…tell me the truth, but…did you really see a ghost?"

Danny, shocked, said, "What? D-Dad, come on…I thought we've been through this-"

"I know Danny, and I believe you when you told me, but maybe sometimes the mind plays tricks on you a little bit-"

"Tricks!? Wha-no! I really did see a ghost!" Danny said frustrated.

"Are you certain Danny? Because maybe…maybe…" Jack grabbed his forehead with his left hand to try to think of something.

"Dad, my mind wasn't playing tricks on me, _I saw a ghost_! I wasn't hallucinating or anything-"

"THEN WHY ARE WE NOT SEEING ANY DAMN GHOSTS AROUND THIS PLACE, DANNY!?" Jack yelled at his son angrily.

Danny was taken aback with wide eyes.

Jack realized he went a little overboard at his exclamation, and looked at Danny with wide eyes as well, but this time they were of shock. "D-Danny, I…" his tone was apologetic. "I'm sorry, I…I just…" He didn't yell at any of his kids like that before. "…I just…" He sighed sadly. "Danny-Boy, look, I-I'm very sorry, please forgive me. I absolutely did not mean to yell at you like that. It's just…" he sighed again. "There's just no sign of any ghosts around here…" he looked down at the floor in shame, not wanting to look at his son for acting out of line.

If Danny felt sad for him now, then he felt REALLY depressed for him. "Hey…it's okay, Dad." Danny said understandingly. "I know you're upset. I mean, I am too! I'm mad that there are no ghosts around here as well!"

This time, his Dad grinned, but it was a sleepy one. "Thanks, Danny. Oh! And…" he looked ashamed again. "…I didn't mean to question you again if you had or had not seen a ghost…I'm sorry for that as well."

"Dad, don't worry about it." Danny gave him a smile. "I guess we're all just irritable right now at the situation."

Jack nodded with a tired smile.

Danny noticed his fatigue and said, "You know what Dad, why don't you rest? I think I got this covered."

"Really? I mean, are you sure?" Jack said with a slightly raised eyebrow, due to his sleepiness.

"Positive. I'll call you if I see and catch any ghosts." Danny said, putting up a confident front for his Dad.

Jack grinned again, "Well, alrighty, Sport! Before I do though, I'm going to get something to eat in the kitchen. Do you want anything?"

"Nah. Not just yet. You go on ahead."

"Alright then!" And with that, Jack made his way through the halls to where the restaurant is.

Danny watched his father go, with renewed energy. He can't let his parents down. They're getting paid, and they WILL get paid. He walked in the opposite direction where his father was, looking around in the hallways.

Danny eyes were determined. "Okay guys, no more 'Mister Nice Ghost'. Either you show yourselves now or…" Danny blinked. He hadn't thought about what he would do if they pushed him way too far over the edge. Use his ghost powers to blow up some walls?

…Uh…_no_. That would _not_ go too well at all.

Then how was he going to lure them out?

Danny groaned. _'What am I suppose to do then!?'_

He kept walking around the halls…

He lost his footing.

"Whoa!" Danny caught himself by leaning against the wall. "What the…?"

Then, something happened to Danny.

Danny had a dazed look on his face. He shook his head and grabbed it. "W-wha…?

For some reason he was feeling…dizzy…even sleepy all of a sudden.

Danny tried to lean against the wall with his other hand to support himself, but felt himself slipping. Then, with failed effort, he slid down on the ground with a thud.

'_What the…what…what's happening?' _Danny thought tiredly. Why was he so weary just now?

He sat there on the ground, back and Fenton Weasel against the wall, trying to get up, but it felt like his new found energy was zapped right out of him.

"What…what's going on?" he muttered, head drooping in and out, trying to at least stay awake.

After so much resistance, he decided to give in and sleep.

'_Maybe…a little sleep won't hurt.' _thought Danny as he prop his head back on the wall, letting himself fade out of consciousness…

* * *

Jack was feeling tired.

He sluggishly walked through the halls, past staircases, past elevators, to get to the restaurant /kitchen. Dragging his feet, he made it to the hall where the restaurant is and bar is.

'_Ugh…I feel exhausted.' _thought Jack.

He looked at his right to the entrances of the bar, 'The Gold Room', and the restaurant, 'Watson's'.

He stared at the signs for a while, until he came up with a realization:

He was too tired to eat something.

Jack rubbed his face with his left hand, and thought on what to do next. He looked at the sign that says 'The Gold Room'.

. . . . .

Jack turned to the direction of the entrance to the barroom.

He entered it and turned on the lights to find a small, but somewhat wide room, most of which was filled with the bar counter, and tables with chairs that are turned up.

Feeling too tired to set a chair on the ground to sit on, he walked forward to the bar stools to climbed up and sit on one of them.

Setting his Fenton Printer down and rubbing his gloved hands on his face, he let out a sigh and rest his head down on his arms, which were crossed on the bar counter.

"Uuugh…just…why aren't we catching any ghosts?" groaned a miserable Jack.

He felt like he was about to drift off to sleep…his head resting on the table…

…Until he heard movement.

Jack opened his eyes and his head slowly risen up, looking to the right.

. . . . .

A man was behind the bar counter rinsing it up with a piece of cloth.

Jack stared at the man.

The man turned his head to look at Jack and nodded with a smirk. He continued to rinse the bar counter.

Jack just sat there…wondering if he's seeing correctly. He looked left, right, and behind him to see if there was any hint of him dreaming this. Looking back at the man - who was dressed up in a red tuxedo, black pants, and a white buttoned shirt with black bowtie – Jack said, "Uh…hello?"

The man, who looked well groomed, with his hair slick back, stopped rinsing the counter and diverted his attention to Jack with a smile. "Hello, sir."

Jack stared at him some more.

The man didn't even recoil.

It was then the man said, "Something on your mind, sir?"

Jack snapped back to reality…he thinks. "Uh…yeah…"

"Would you like to talk about it?" said the man, going over to where Jack was seated, his hands clasped together.

Jack stared at him some more…until he said, "A-am I going crazy? Because I…I thought there was suppose to be _no_ staff around here?"

The man smiled again. "I guess you didn't get the memo."

"Memo? What memo?" Jack said in confusion.

"That I was working here until seven."

Jack raised an eyebrow – his fatigue going away for the time being – and said, "Really?"

The man nodded.

Jack didn't know if he could believe him or not. It just seems weird that all of a sudden a man appeared out of thin air right in front of him…

"Hey, um…" Jack chuckled, "Uh…t-this is going to sound really silly, but bear with me here, cause I'm really…well, tired, but, um…are you, uh-" he leaned closer to the man, "…are you a ghost?"

The man smiled and chuckled softly. "No, sir."

"Oh…then…who are you?" Jack inquired suspiciously.

The man kept the same smile on and said, "Why, I'm the bartender of this establishment."

Jack just stared at him dumbly. …He then said to the bartender warily, "Okay…what's your name?"

The man said simply, "Lloyd."

"Lloyd, huh?" Jack shifted his eyes left to right, seeing if there were any more people here…

. . . . .

"Are you alright, sir?"

Jack jumped and looked at Lloyd, who looked concerned. "Uh…yeah, I'm…I'm just…" he sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "Sorry, I'm just tired. I've been hunting ghosts all day."

"Hunting ghosts, you say?" Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah…" Jack's head then jerked up. "Oh! Sorry. You see, my wife and I are ghost hunters, and we're staying in this hotel, trying to hunt down ghosts."

"Hmm…very interesting."

"Tch! I hope you mean that in a good way…"

"Actually, I do mean that in a good way, sir."

Jack blinked and then grinned. "Well, thanks stranger! Oh! I mean, Lloyd! Heh, sorry. Oh!" He extended his hand. "And excuse me for not introducing myself! The name's Jack! Jack Fenton!"

Lloyd smiled. "You're welcome. Pleased to meet you, Jack." He shook his hand. "So…I would guess that you're hard at work trying to find these ghosts?"

"Yeah…these little punks are getting on my last nerve! I mean, they're hiding, I know they are! They're making me and Maddie look bad as ghost hunters, and we're getting paid to do this! I want to catch some just to let that Stuart guy eat his own words!"

"Ah, yes, Mr. Ullman…he is quite a nuisance, isn't he?"

"Tch, tell me about it! He up and just said that he doesn't believe in ghosts! Well, let me tell him something if he was ever at my face again; they _ARE real! _About as real as you and me! I mean, they're basically just souls, right? Sure ectoplasm is involved, but hey, they exist in _bodies_! And-and…_**EEERRGHH**_!" Jack slammed his fists on the wooden counter in anger.

Lloyd didn't even flinch, standing in perfect posture.

Jack shook his head in aggravation. "Just…_something_, you know? A ghost…" he hold out his index finger firmly and said, "Just _one_." He let his hand down on the counter, gave out a big sigh, and rests his head on his right hand.

A moment of pure silence…

"…How about a drink, sir?" Lloyd offered.

Jack looked up. "A drink?" he said questionably. "You mean, like…a _drink_, drink?"

"Yes. I think you may certainly need it." Lloyd said with a smile as he went to one of the liquor cabinets behind him…

"Hey…were there always liquor bottles over there?" Jack asked.

Lloyd softly chuckled. "Yes, they were always here, sir."

"Oh. …B-but hey now! I'm not a drinking man! I only drink when it's a special occasion!" He paused. "…Huh. I think I only drank once in my lifetime come to think of it. I think it was at my honeymoon…"

"A little alcoholic beverage won't hurt anyone; here." Lloyd said as he laid a shot glass filled with ice and booze on the counter in front of Jack. "This is bourbon whiskey."

Jack looked at the shot of alcohol. He chuckled uneasily and said, "Uh…do I really have a choice here?"

"No rush." Lloyd smirked. "But you really _do_ need to relax, sir. You _have_ been working hard all day."

Jack chuckled again. "Well, that's true…" He looked at the glass for a little while and back at Lloyd. "Say that I _do _drink this stuff…what will it pay me?"

"Nothing, sir. The drink's on the house."

"Really?" said Jack, genuinely surprised. "No kidding? I mean, no offense, I don't think I'll drink it, but that's very generous of you!"

Lloyd smiled. "Well, the offer is always on the table."

"Or on the counter." Jack joked, chuckling once more, which was followed by a deep breath and a loud sigh. "Oh Lloyd, Lloyd, Lloyd…I don't know what to do."

"Would you like to talk about it, sir?" Lloyd asked again.

"I guess…well…again, these ghosts are just hard to catch. They're a crafty bunch, I tell ya. I mean, me and my wife have been using ghost hunting technology around this place, and nothing comes up! …Well, there is the couple of rare times we caught something on the radar, but not a moving, fast, runner ghost, you know what I'm saying? I mean, they have to come out _sometime_! …" Jack groaned and rubbed his face with his hand. He looked at the shot of bourbon and said, "You know, I'm just gonna try this, just to see what it taste like. Now that doesn't mean I want more, I'm just trying stuff out."

Lloyd nodded. "Of course. I'm just calming your spirits, so to speak. You can try it and I won't offer you anything else."

Jack nodded with a grin. "Alrighty then." He grabbed the shot glass and looked at for a couple of seconds. He licked his lips. He was pretty thirsty right now. He slowly held it up to his mouth and caught a whiff of it. It smelled strong, but in a nice way...for alcohol. He then took a good sip…

He gulped it down, and said, "Whew! Whoa!" He coughed. "Man, that's-whew!" He shook his head. "Wow! That's…" he smacked his lips. "…that's pretty strong! I don't know if it relaxed me or not!"

Lloyd smiled. "It's an acquired taste."

"Heh, tell me about it!" Jack said as he sat there with his hand clasped on the glass. "I just hope my wife doesn't kill me knowing I tried this stuff!"

Lloyd chuckled. "If you don't mind me changing topics, sir, but is it just you and your wife that are staying in the Overlook to hunt these ghosts?"

"Oh, no. I brought along my kids with me! My daughter and son! And two of my son's friends!"

"Hmm…if I come across them, what would their names be?"

"Well, my wife's name is Madeline, but I call her Maddie, my daughter's name is Jasmine, but we call her Jazz, and my son's name is Daniel, _but _we call him Danny! Oh, and my son's friends names are Sam and Tucker!" Jack chuckled.

Lloyd smiled once more. "Sounds like you have a collective bunch."

"Heh, yep! I sure do! I hope the kids won't be bothering you during our stay."

"Not at all, sir."

Jack chuckled. "Well good!" He sat there for a bit and looked at his watch that read 6:50 PM. "Huh, looks like your shift is almost up!"

Lloyd looked at his watch as well. "It would seem so." He smirked.

Jack nodded. "Well," He got up and down from his barstool. "I think I should be off. My son is helping me do some huntin'. I'm pretty sure he would like some help right now."

"Your son is helping you? That sounds quite nice of him." Lloyd said as he dumped the ice out of the shot glass and put it in the sink.

"Yep! He's been helping me for two hours today! It's been a good bonding experience for me and Danny!" Jack stood there as he patted the counter with his left hand. "You know…this has been a good talk, Lloyd. I actually feel a little better. Maybe that was all I needed…just a good little talk."

Lloyd smiled at Jack. "Glad to be of assistance, sir. Do come back anytime when you're feeling down."

Jack smirked. "Heh, well, I'll be here for a week, I might as well…" he thought for a second. "…You know what? How about this? If I have a rough day," he tapped his left finger on the bar counter. "I'm going to come here to this bar...and we'll converse. If that's okay with you?"

Lloyd kept the same smile. "Of course it is, sir."

"Fan-tastic!"Jack grinned slapping the counter in glee. "You know what else? I am not going to leave you empty handed." He dug into his hazmat suit pocket and got out his wallet. "How much did that drink cost?"

"Sir, as long as you help the Overlook with any type of problem, any drink you may, or may not order, is free."

Jack smirked. "Thanks, Lloyd."

"No problem, sir."

"Hey come on, what's with this 'sir' stuff, huh? There's no need to be formal, call me Jack! I'm calling you by your name, so why not mine?" Jack chuckled.

Lloyd chuckled as well. "My apologies, Jack."

Jack laughed. "There you go! That's more like it! Well, I better get going!"

Lloyd nodded, still having the same smile. "Come back anytime, Jack."

Jack nodded with a smile. "I will. So long, Lloyd." He waved him off.

And with that, Jack made his way out of the barroom, leaving Lloyd behind.

As Jack exited out of 'The Gold Room' and walked a little ways from the entrance, he stopped in his tracks.

…Has he been here before?

. . . . .

…He shook his head.

'_I'm getting serious déjà vu all of a sudden.' _

He then remembered something…

"Hey…where did my Fenton Printer go?"

He looked around every direction, until he laid eyes on the sign, 'The Gold Room'.

"…"

Jack slowly went to the entryway to the bar…

…To find an empty room.

"Where…?"

He glanced around the area.

"Ah! There it is!"

He went over to the bar counter to find his Fenton Printer. He picked it up and equipped it on his belt.

"Alrighty! Well, time to go find Danny!" Jack said to himself with a grin.

He turned off the lights and exited the barroom once again…

. . . . . .

…Everything was quiet in 'The Gold Room'…

* * *

**[1] I have never played an MMORPG before, so don't get onto me if I'm doing it wrong. :P**

**Well, this was certainly a LONG chapter! 14,000 words! Holy cow! 8O I hope it was all worth it though! You get to have some eeriness, AND you get to see some of the ghosts from the Overlook! :D**

**You know the drill! Tell me how I did with a review! :)**


	12. Day 3: Night Patrol

**Alrighty! Here's chapter twelve! Things will be starting to get scary as the night goes on. ;)**

**Also, I have to mention; just so you all know, I know about the boiler's little 'malfunction'. I'll be mentioning it real soon in the chapter, since the snow is almost about to roll in. Now I don't know ANYTHING about boilers, and I won't be mentioning the what's wrong with it in the chapter, but if I ever do, tell me if I'm doing it right. :)**

**That's all I got to say! Read and enjoy, folks! :D**

* * *

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

Pitch blackness…

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

'_. . .W-. . .'_

Danny eyelids slowly opened…

'_. . .Wh-. . .'_

. . . . . . .

". . .What. . .?"

Danny was now lying on the floor against the wall, Fenton Weasel still on his back. He groggily picked himself up and sat up for a bit. He shook his head and grabbed his forehead.

'_What…what happened?'_

He grunted as he stood up from his sitting position, still a little wobbly. He kept grabbing his head, and tried to remember what had transpired.

A while ago, he felt dizzy and tired…

Danny blinked a little bit to get the sleepiness out of his eyes. He checked the time on his watch.

6:50 PM.

His eyes widened as they blinked. Was it really that time?

'_I've slept for at least thirty minutes?' _Danny thought incredulously. He then raised his head up abruptly from his watch in stunned realization. "Oh man…"

'_I haven't even searched for any ghosts!' _

Shaking his head to get whatever leftover fatigue that he had, Danny began rushing through the hallway to see if he can quickly patrol anyplace else before his Dad comes looking for him after his meal.

He gulped. He hoped his Dad hadn't already found him asleep in the hallway…

Danny navigated his way back to the lobby in the west wing in hopes of searching for any ghosts until the last minute. He couldn't for the life of him though, understand how he conked out like that. Was he really that exhausted?

As Danny began to search for ghosts, he pondered, _'Did I really slept that long? Granted, it was just a short while than what I usually sleep through, but...just what in the heck _happened_? Why was I so sleepy back there?' _He shook his head. _'It doesn't matter right now. I'm awake now and I'm not going to let Dad down. I'm going to try to find these spooks even if it…well, half kills me.' _

As a minute passed while he looked for some ghosts, Danny heard his Dad's heavy footsteps as he came into the lobby.

"Heya Sport! Any luck?" said Jack, who sounded strangely chipper.

Danny turned his attention to his Dad, to see that he had smile on his face. Danny blinked at the sudden change of behavior from his father. _'Wow…he seems happy. I wonder what he ate?' _"Um…no Dad, sorry."

"Aw, really?" Jack sadly frowned until he brightened up again. "Well, not to worry! There's always next time!"

Danny blinked again in an even more dumbfound manner. "Um…Dad? Uh…are you alright?"

"Of course! Never been better!" Jack smiled brightly. "I mean sure, I was all mopey before, but I realized, 'Hey! Got to keep your head up high, ol' Jack! Those spirits are bound to come up sometime!'. And I pretty much thought of what you said about finding a ghost, which made me keep going!"

"Oh." Danny kind of felt touched on that last line. "Well, uh…okay. Thanks Dad." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Jack half-heartily chuckled. "No prob, Son!" He then noticed something at the lobby windows in the corner of his right eye. "Oh hey! Your mother and the kids are back!"

Danny turned to his left to see outside the windows. Against the evening sunset he saw the Fenton RV come to a complete stop in front of the hotel. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz, who were wearing slightly warmer clothing because of the cold, all filed out of the RV, with Maddie coming from behind them, wearing a jacket. They soon entered the hotel, the cold air flowing through the entrance.

"Woo!" exclaimed Tucker. "It sure is about to get cold outside!"

Jazz took notice of Danny and their father as they came inside. "Hey guys! Any luck with the ghost hunting?"

Danny shook his head. "No, not much luck."

"Seriously?" said Sam with her brows furrowed.

"Eh, not to worry though! We tried our best!" Jack smiled. He turned to Danny, "Hey Sport, you look a little tired! Why don't you stop for the day?"

Danny, along with the other three kids, blinked with wide eye surprise.

'…_What _happened_ while I was asleep?'_ Danny wondered to himself incredulously.

Maddie smiled and turned to Danny as she took off her jacket and folded it on her arm, "I agree with your father. You do look a little sleepy."

Danny mentally cringed at that statement. "But it's only seven o'clock." he disputed. "I can probably keep going until eight."

"Nuh-uh! None of that!" Maddie corrected him, raising a hand to silence him. "You've been working too hard for your father and me. You get some well earned rest. I'll take it from here."

"But…" Danny was about to argue, until his mother gave him a gentle 'now-don't-argue-with-me-Daniel Fenton' look. He sighed and gave in, "Okay Mom, I'll stop. I guess I am getting pretty sleepy." That _was_ basically true, since he pretty much passed out in the hallway while investigating. He rubbed his eyes in emphasis and let out a true genuine yawn. "I'll check in earlier for the night." He took off the Fenton Weasel and the belt full of gadgets, giving it to his mother. "Here you go Mom. I'll let you use my stuff."

"Aw, thank you Sweetie!" Maddie said with a sweet smile as she took the belt of gadgets and the Fenton Weasel from Danny.

"I am getting hungry right now though, so I'll fix something first in the kitchen and then hit the bed." Danny stated.

"You know, I'll get something too. It is dinnertime." Sam said, anticipating on the thought of a good salad.

"Yeah, I am craving some grub. I'm right behind you guys." Tucker agreed.

"Uh, ditto." Jazz said.

"Alrighty then! You kids go get some grub, and after that, you Danny," Jack said as he pointed at his son with a grin, "Get some good rest."

Danny playfully saluted to his Dad with a smile. "Sure thing." And with that, he and the rest of the kids went their way to the kitchen.

As they left, Maddie set her jacket on a nearby chair and turned back to Jack, "You know, it is getting cold tonight. We had to cut some of the hiking short because it was getting chilly."

Jack nodded. "It is getting there. I can already feel the temperature drop. What did you and the kids do during that time?"

"Oh we just drove around; stop at a few lookouts and admired the scenery. We saw some elk as we drove by." Maddie said as she equipped the Fenton Weasel and put the belt around her waist.

"Really? Aw, I'm sorry Danny and I couldn't come with you guys." Jack said sincerely. "It would have reminded me of my old cabin days as a kid! …Well, except all I saw was deer instead of elk. "

Maddie lightly chuckled with a smile. Her face then turned serious. She looked around the area to see if the coast is clear, and said in a hushed voice. "Do you think we need to turn the boiler up?"

Jack stood stiff at the suggestion. "…Well, the weather report said it was going to snow tomorrow night…plus it's already cold. …What's the temperature for tomorrow?"

"Well, Tucker's PDA said it was going to be in the forties tonight and tomorrow…" Maddie pondered for a bit. "…We could use the heat. Did you remember what Dick said about heating the boiler up?"

"Of course. How could I've not have?" Jack shook his head tiredly with a sigh. "I really hoped that it didn't have to come to that."

Maddie hummed in agreement. "…Do you think we should let the kids know about the heating situation?"

"…I think we should tell them tomorrow. I'll heat up the boiler tonight at a reasonable temperature and stay in the caretaker's quarters."

Maddie frowned in concern. "Really, Jack? You'll be staying there all by yourself?"

Jack looked at his wife with a reassuring gaze. "Hey, don't worry Honey, I'm a big boy. I can handle a little alone time to myself." Jack said sincerely.

Maddie looked like she was contemplating on the situation as she looked down with crossed arms and a frown. Then with a shake of her head, she sighed and muttered, "It'll be all lonely up in the room…" She looked up at her husband. "But I suppose it has to be done, I guess. I'll act all grown up about it too." She said with a warm smile.

Jack equaled her smile. "You're one of a kind, Sweetheart."

She giggled at the compliment. "So are you, Sweetie." Maddie went up to her husband, cupped his face and kissed him on the lips. She blinked a little bit in surprise after he kissed him.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "What?"

There it was again…his breath… "Jack…your breath kind of smells…"

"It does?" he queried as he blinked. "Oh, sorry honey, it must have been something I've eaten. I did had a snack a while ago."

Maddie raised an eyebrow herself. '_A snack? What on Earth did he eat?' _His breath was emitting a strong odor…whatever he's eaten must've been spoiled…no…that couldn't be right. Dick had sent the freshest food possible for them to eat throughout the week, let it be meats, bread, and vegetables. So what could he have eaten?

…Wait…come to think of it…it almost smelled like…

…Alcohol…

"Maddie?"

She snapped out of her daze and said, "Oh, um…w-what did you eat?"

"Just some of that leftover chili you made Monday."

"Oh…okay…"_ 'He answered it almost without hesitation, so he couldn't have been lying…maybe that was what it was…' _

"Honey?"

Maddie was out of her daze again, "I-I'm sorry Sweetheart, it just…caught me by surprise is all."

"Oh, well I apologize, Dear! I'll go get some mouthwash to make my mouth all minty fresh for ya!" Jack smiled brightly.

Maddie chuckled. "Alright then, Jack, but don't take too long! We need to wrap up our hunt for the night."

"Sure thing, Maddie-Dear!" Jack said cheerfully as he went to the hallway elevators to go up to his room.

Maddie smiled at her husband's jolly demeanor. As he left though, she couldn't help but think back to his breath…her smile faded into a thin line as she shook her head. "No, there's no alcohol around the hotel. And even if there was, Jack's not a drinking man…" She put her hand to her chin…and sighed briskly, shaking her head once more while she put a hand to her head. "It had to been your imagination, Maddie." Half-satisfied with that answer, she then started to search around for any ghosts in the next hour.

* * *

"So, did you guys found any hiking trails?" Danny asked his friends and sister as they walked to the restaurant.

"Well, it was getting cold outside, so we had to cut it short. We did drove around and stop at a few lookouts to admire the scenery though." Sam answered.

"Yeah, to tell you the truth, I'm pretty glad we didn't have to walk around everywhere. That would have been a chore." said Tucker.

"Oh, learn to exercise, Tucker." Sam said as she rolled her eyes at him.

"In case _you _have forgotten, Sam, vacations are meant for relaxing." Tucker retorted back.

"_Anyways_," Jazz decided to cut in before they got a little testy. "Have you seen any ghosts while we were gone, Danny?

As they entered the restaurant, Danny shook his head and replied, "No, not really…"

"Aw man, sorry bro. I mean, really, what does it take for one ghost to appear?" Tucker theorized.

"Tell me about it." Danny muttered. He then thought about mentioning his little sleep spell, but thought against it, thinking he must've been tired or something…

They soon entered the kitchen, getting out what they were going to eat; Sam of course, a salad; Tucker, a burger; Jazz, a sandwich; and Danny…

Danny opened the fridge to see some leftover chili. "Huh. Dad's leftover chili…" He didn't feel like making anything, so he wondered if he could heat the chili up with his Dad's permission. He fished his father's Fenton Phone out of his pocket and contacted him.

There was still static coming through…

Danny decided to just ignore it, since he's pretty much used to it by now. But he did go outside the kitchen to get better reception.

"Dad? Dad, are you there?" he spoke into the phone.

Luckily, there was less interference in the connection as he picked up the headphone.

"_Hey Son! What's up?"_

"Oh nothing much, I just wanted to know if you were going to finish the last bit of chili in the fridge. I would like to eat the rest of it, if that's okay."

There was silence on the other line…

"…Dad?"

"…_Wha-wha-what now? Sorry Son, could you repeat that?"_

Danny blinked. "Uh…I said is it okay if I eat the rest of the chili in the fridge?"

There was still more silence on the other line…

"…Dad? Is everything alright?" asked Danny in an uneasy tone.

"_Oh…ah, um…" _Then his father went back to a cheery tone. "S_ure Danny! I'm pretty full from my snack, so you go on ahead and eat the rest of it!"_

Danny, bewildered at the sudden transition, said, "O-okay…" Danny then wondered where his Dad might be… "Dad? Where are you?"

"_Well, I'm heading towards your mother and mine's room to get me some mouthwash. Don't ask, your mother smelled my breath."_

"Oh…okay." He shook his head. "Well, anyways, thanks for the chili!"

"_No prob! That stuff is pretty good! Dick sure does know how to make a great recipe!"_

Danny smiled at the mention of the old chef. He should call him again tomorrow. Not now, he doesn't want to be a bother on his vacation.

"Heh. Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow Dad."

"_You too, Son! G'night!"_

"G'night." Danny put the phone in his pocket and went back into the kitchen.

As he entered the kitchen and went to the fridge to get the chili out and prepare it, he stopped to turn his head to look at his friends and sister. Tucker was, of course, grilling a hamburger on a pan, Jazz is making a deli meat sandwich, and while Sam is getting ingredients for her salad. It was then Danny had an idea…

Should he? It might be helpful, since him and his Dad's luck hasn't been all that good lately…

He'll bring it up after supper. Right now, he was hungry.

* * *

**-oOo-**

**7:20 PM**

**-oOo-**

As soon as they were almost finished with their meals in the restaurant, Danny brought the topic up.

"You know… I heard that ghosts usually appear more in haunted places at night." _'…Which makes me wonder why Mom and Dad hadn't realized that yet.'_

Sam, Jazz, and Tucker, who were about done with their dinner, all stopped in mid-bite as they started to look at Danny questionably.

"Um…yeah?" Sam said curiously.

"So…I was thinking that maybe when Mom and Dad are in the bed, all four of us could try to hunt some ghosts down until…maybe eleven; possibly twelve."

All three of them stared at Danny like he had a second ghostly head.

"…Wow, Danny. You really are hooked on ghost hunting this week." said Tucker.

"Danny, you DO realize what you're asking, do you?" queried Jazz.

"Well, what am I _suppose_ to do?" Danny threw his hands in frustration. "You heard what I said awhile ago; Dad and I haven't had any luck _whatsoever_! I want us all to have a stress-free vacation, and get my parents paid for this job, but so far its day three, and we caught _nothing_…" Danny let out a big sigh as he tiredly rests his head onto his propped left hand.

Sam, Tucker, and Jazz sat there, blinking in silence as they absorbed what Danny had said…

"…You know what? Sure Danny. I'll help you out." offered Sam.

Danny's head shot up as he looked up at Sam in shock. "Really? You will?" he said with a happy glint in his eyes.

Tucker and Jazz turned their heads to Sam with wide eyes. "Are you serious?" questioned an incredulous Tucker.

"Well, why not? Nothing else to do tomorrow besides play croquet, and it'll be too cold for that." rationalize Sam.

Jazz looked down to think about it. She then gave in and sighed. "Alright Danny. As much as I don't want to participate in the whole ghost hunting thing, I might as well help out. Who knows? It might be interesting to see what kind of ghosts reside around here."

"Wait. _What_?" Tucker said in to each girl in disbelief. "Oh, no! No way, no how! I came here to have a vacation! To not do _any _ghost hunting whatsoever! To _relax_! This is called Spring Break for a reason! Emphasis on the word _break_! As in, 'taking a break'!" he exaggerated.

"Well, you don't have to, you know. I can understand if you want to sleep." Danny assured his friend.

"…Oh." Tucker blinked. "…Well…good. …I'm glad you see where I'm coming from, then…"

Sam rolled her eyes while Jazz giggled. The goth turned to Danny and said, "Alright, so me and Jazz are in. When do we start hunting?"

"Wait. Are you girls sure about doing this tonight? We can wait until tomorrow." asked Danny.

"Are you kidding? I do _not_ want to be dragged around by Dad when I say that I would 'like' to ghost hunt tomorrow." Jazz said with her arms crossed.

"Besides, ghosts do tend to come out at night. That is a fact." Sam smirked as she shrugged nonchalantly.

Danny smiled at the two girls. "Alright then. We'll start hunting around eight thirty. I'll get the stuff out of the RV once Mom and Dad are in the bed."

"Well, you guys have fun. In the meantime, I'm going to the room to watch a little TV and relax like a pro." Tucker stated, as he got up and went to put his plate up.

As Tucker left, Danny said to the girls gratefully, "Thanks for helping me out."

"No problem. I get how frustrating it can be when it comes to not catching any ghosts." said Sam.

"Yeah. Not to mention that Mom and Dad's paycheck is riding on this job." Jazz added.

Danny smiled and nodded at the two. "Thanks again. Remember; eight thirty."

"Got it."

"Sure thing."

* * *

**-oOo-**

**8:25 PM**

**-oOo-**

After Danny's parents have gone to bed(he checked with his Mom to make sure if they were going to bed at eight.), he went outside to the RV and went intangible, getting all of the necessary equipment(Fenton Weasel, Fenton Thermos, Fenton gadgets, etc.) to start for tonight's hunt. He knocked on Jazz and Sam's door to tell them that their ghost apparatuses are in the lobby and said to them to wait for him there while he asks Tucker once more if he wants to go hunting with them.

He enters their room with their key, and sees Tucker relaxing on the couch, watching television.

"Hey Tuck. We're heading out on our hunt. I brought you an extra Fenton Weasel just in case you change your mind." Danny said as he carried one in his hand and put it on the floor next to the couch.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm true to my word when I say I'm gonna chill out for the night." Tucker declined.

Danny shrugged. "Okay, suit yourself. You can always join if you want to, though." As he turned to leave, he stopped. "…Just remember, the offer is always on the table."

"Alrighty." Tucker two fingered saluted him.

Danny shook his head with a sigh and left the room. He didn't know if leaving Tucker in the room all by himself was such a good idea, but he was pretty confident that when push comes to shove, Tucker could handle the ghost in the their room all by himself. He has some ghost equipment after all.

* * *

When Danny came down to the lobby, he sees Jazz and Sam standing in the center of the lobby with their Fenton Weasels strapped on their backs, and gadgets on their waists.

"These things are actually pretty light weight." Jazz said in surprise, referring to the Fenton Weasel.

"Alright, all suit up?" Danny asked.

"Yep. So what's the plan?" Sam asked.

Danny thought about that for a second. "Hmm…well, I'll start on the top three floors, while you observe the second floor. Jazz will start searching for any ghosts on the first floor, and after about thirty minutes, you girls will take rotations on the first and second floors. I'll do the same thing, except I'll take rotations on the top three floors. We'll meet back here at eleven to report any findings. Does that sound good?"

"Sounds good." Sam.

"Sounds great." Jazz.

"Alright. Let's get going." said Danny before they split.

* * *

**-oOo-**

**9:00 PM**

**-oOo-**

**(Danny)**

Danny was on the fourth floor(all the while keeping silent footsteps so as not to wake up his Mom and Dad.), searching for any lurking ghosts that could come around the corner. For thirty, agonizing minutes, he didn't have a single cold feeling coming into his ghost sense. Feeling more and more irritated with each passing minute, he honestly thought about giving up for the night, but quickly thought against it. He has to catch some ghosts for his parent's sake. There's just got to be some way to lure them out…

He sighed. "You know, this _is_ getting _really _old…" Danny muttered to any ghosts that may be listening.

Silence was all that accompanied him.

Danny huffed. _'Man, this is grating on my nerves.' _

He kept walking through the halls to see if he can still pick up anything. While he aimlessly walked around, a thought occurred to him.

'_Wait a minute…' _he stopped for a moment as he blinked. He palmed his forehead and groaned. _'Ugh! That's right! Since Mom and Dad are in the bed, I could go ghost without any Fenton Finders locating me!'_ He'd been so cautious of not going ghost for the past couple of days whenever his parents were around, that he forgot that he was safe from any device that they could be holding. Feeling a bit embarrassed at that realization, he went ghost. Now as Danny Phantom, maybe he can try to lure these ghosts to appear like they(kind of) did last time in the boiler room. _'Here's hoping this works again.' _He thought.

He ascended off the floor and flew in a slightly speedy matter to go around every corner of the halls to see if this time, he can track and find any ghosts.

"Alright, come on out. I know you're all here."Danny said determinedly.

As he kept flying, and even going intangible and checking out some of the hotel rooms for about five minutes, he was starting to get a little fed up.

'_Come out! What is your DEAL!?' _Danny thought in exasperation, his face scrunched up in a scowl as he flew a long hallway.

All of sudden, his flight was off balance…

"W-wha?"

Danny's vision was becoming disoriented, and was tilting from his side to side.

"What in the…?" Not wanting to crash into a wall, Danny slowly and softly landed on his two feet. He then supported himself against the wall with his hand, and grabbed his head with the other. Feeling dizzier and dizzier, he shook his head to get out whatever is making him feel so unbalanced.

Deciding that maybe changing back to his old self would help, he reverted back to Danny Fenton.

Slowly, but surely, he was starting to feel better.

"Ugh…what's going on here?" Danny said as he wobbled towards the hall…

It was then that the sudden chill of his ghost sense went off.

"Huh?" said a wide-eyed shocked Danny.

'_There…there's a ghost?'_

Danny tried to stand upright. The only time that a ghost is about to appear, and he's feeling lightheaded.

The feeling strangely though started to disperse…

That was when he heard it…

…The sounds of soft footsteps.

Danny, shaking his head once more to clear out his wooziness, looked straight ahead towards the hall to see where the sound was coming from…

The three-way hallway intersection was devoid of anybody…

The soft footsteps were getting louder…

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

A man was soon into view as he appeared around the left corner of the intersection.

Danny, instantly knowing it was a ghost, stood up straight once the feeling of lightheadedness was gone. He then got his Fenton Weasel ready…

The ghost looked…refined. He looked a bit older, and was wearing a black tux, black pants and a black bowtie, his brown hairline receding to have a bald spot in the back and was sporting a moustache.

Danny got ready for anything… he pointed the nozzle of the Fenton Weasel at the ghost.

'_Sorry to do this pal, but this for my parents' job.' _

The ghost turned his head to Danny. He then smiled at the teen.

Danny turned on the Fenton Weasel…

. . . . . . . .

Nothing happens…

Danny blinked. He lowered his gaze at the nozzle of the Fenton Weasel. Was it on? He quickly looked at the switch to see that it was, in fact, on.

'_What the?' _Looking at the nozzle and shaking the ghost apparatus to get it to somehow to start, Danny was unaware that the ghost was walking towards him.

"Hello there, young sir." the ghost politely greeted.

Danny's head shot up, startled. "W-wha?"

The ghost was still smiling at him. "I said, 'hello there, young sir.'"

"Um…" Trying to work on the Fenton Weasel long forgotten, he sputtered out, "H-hello…?"

The ghost still smiled. "Are you Daniel Fenton?"

Wide-eyed at the question, Danny said, "U-uh…y-yeah…" '_How did he know my full name?_' "C-call me Danny."

The ghost chuckled, "Alright. Danny it is, then…" He reached inside of the lapel of his suit to fish out a card... He handed it to Danny, who at that point looked at it in confusion. He looked back at the ghost, who still smiled a patient smile.

Seeing no other choice, he took the card and read the fine print on it.

_-OL-_

_Greetings, Mr. Daniel Fenton,_

_We cordially invite you to a party at the Overlook to celebrate your arrival. Bring only yourself, if you will. We love to get to know you!_

_The party will be held at the ballroom on Friday night at nine o'clock. _

_Casual wear is acceptable._

_We hope to see you soon!_

_From the staff of the Overlook,_

_-OL-_

Danny blinked, perplexed. _'A party?' _"Hey, what's this-"

But as he looked up from the card, the ghost was gone.

Caught off guard, he frantically turned his head left and right, and behind him.

The ghost disappeared.

Danny would've gotten angry at the fact that yet _another _ghost slipped right past him, but he was looking back at the card with interest.

Questions formed in his mind; like how did they know his name? Why were they throwing a party for him? But more importantly…

Danny stared back at the nozzle of the Fenton Weasel. Why didn't it work when it was turned on? Was it broken? He shook his head, _'No, these things are in perfect condition. Just like the other gadgets on my belt.' _

He looked back at the card one last time, as he flipped it over. The front of it said 'Overlook Hotel'. _'Huh, so the ghosts here invited me to a…party? That's kind of…nice…and weird at the same time.' _

He thought about what the card had said to only bring himself to the party. It seemed kind of odd that they only want him to come along, but maybe they seen him as Danny Phantom and were trying to relate to him as ghosts…

…Wait. That gave him an idea.

If Danny could go to this party, he can convince every ghost there to be detained by his parents or by him if he can. He doesn't know how much ghosts there will be, but this is could be the only chance to get his parents paid for this job. It was a long shot, but what choice did he have?

He needs to keep this under wraps. He can't tell Jazz, Sam, or Tucker about this. If the card said they only want to invite him, then he'll go by himself. He really didn't want to keep any secrets from his friends and his sister, but maybe bringing them along would just complicate things. Maybe the ghosts just want to talk to the ghost side of him, or…something.

Danny put on a determined face. He made his decision; he'll do this alone.

After he was done observing the card, he put it in his pocket.

"Well, although that was an interesting turn of events, I need to get back to hunting…" Danny sighed irritably. "Back to square one…"

* * *

**-oOo-**

**9:24 PM**

**-oOo-**

**(Sam)**

Sam heaved a sigh.

She searched around every part of the second floor, and was now on the first floor in the lobby, looking to see if anything was out of the ordinary. There wasn't any activity that she can hear for the time being, and she didn't spot anything that looks remotely ghostly.

She _would_ be in her room reading her book, but Danny, who had obviously done plenty for her and was also a good friend to boot, needed help with the ghost hunt. So she had sacrificed her reading time to search for any ghouls around the hotel. It had been a tedious amount of time, but she'll do anything to help out a friend in need, especially Danny.

"You're doing this for Danny, Sam. You're doing this for Danny, and for Mr. and Mrs. Fenton." Sam muttered softly to herself.

Although, one obstacle was in her way though; she had to go to the bathroom.

She does want to help Danny, but she _cannot _hold her bladder much longer. Plus, it'll be something for her to do(per say) while she takes a break from ghost hunting. All in all, Sam was kind of glad for the distraction.

'_Well, nature calls either way.' _thought Sam.

Sam exited the lobby(while still carrying her Fenton Weasel and gadgets.) to trek down the hallway to were the ladies room was situated, which was further to the left side of the ballroom. She head inside and went to one of the bathroom stalls, but not until she removed the Fenton Weasel and unbuckled the belt full of gadgets off of her waist. She placed them outside of her stall, and went in to do her business.

When she was done, she exited out of the stall and went to the sink to wash her hands. After rinsing her hands, she dried them off with the blow-dryer next to the sink. When that was done, she then walked back to her ghost hunting equipment.

As she was about to reach for them however…

_FLLLUSSSHHH…_

Sam froze on the spot.

'…_Huh?'_

She then heard a stall door opened…

Sam turned slowly to the cause of the sound…

…It was a red haired woman wearing a slender, elegant green gown. She was also carrying a purse.

The woman made her way to the sink as she washed her hands, not minding Sam in the slightest.

Sam on the other hand, was in shock, mouth slightly agape. She's just now encountering a ghost in the hotel! …She thinks? She didn't look like an ordinary ghost. She looked too human to be one. She quickly dismissed that thought when she realized that the only people around here were her, Tucker, Danny, and his family. This was a ghost, for certain. She didn't get a memo that a nicely dressed woman was staying here…

And of off all the places she encounters a ghost…it had to be the bathroom.

As the woman was about to dry her hands, Sam realized that she been standing for a good while. She shook her head. _'Okay Sam, get it together. You found a ghost; now don't let it get away!'_

An ordinary person would've been freaked out by a ghost woman coming out a bathroom stall, but Sam has faced worse. Although it was surprising to see one _now_, she had to keep her cool and act like it was natural that a ghost woman would appear so suddenly. …

Sam gradually approached the ghost woman, as she was still drying her hands with the blow-dryer.

"U-um…" Sam started.

The ghost woman, who was done drying her hands, turned around, her red hair creating a shine from the lights above them. She looked at Sam…

The woman smiled, "Yes dear?" she spoke in a low, sophisticated, feminine tone.

Sam thought of what to say… "Uh…a-are you...a ghost?" _'Ugh, nice one.' _She mentally scolded herself.

The woman tilted her head in question at her, making her hair bounced as it sheens. "A ghost?" she smiled sweetly and giggled. "Well, I wouldn't think so."

Sam blinked at her. "…Wait…you wouldn't think so?" she said, perplexed.

The woman chuckled, "No dear. I have to say though, aren't you a little too old to believe in ghosts, sweetheart?"

Sam frowned. "Hey, where I come from, ghosts are an everyday occurrence."

"Oh my!" The woman said as she looked surprised. "Well, that doesn't sound too good." She frowned as well.

"Um, yeah…" Sam quickly glanced at the Fenton Weasel and her belt of gadgets. Gazing back at the woman, she switched topics. "So, uh…if you don't mind me asking…is there any reason why you're all dressed up tonight?"

The woman gave out a dazzling white smile. "Can't a girl look nice every now and then?"

"I don't technically believe in 'looking good'. It's just a ploy for big cosmetics companies to trick young girls into buying their products." Sam stated with her arms crossed.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you wearing mascara and purple lipstick?"

Sam blinked again. "Uh…" she shook her head. "T-that's different! I'm a goth! I wear dark colors...it's what I am."

The woman looked thoughtful. "Hmm…well I don't see why you would want to cover up that pretty face."

Now Sam raised an eyebrow.

She emitted a chuckle. "It's true, dear. You have such a natural beauty that doesn't need to be covered up. You're one of the lucky ones."

"…Um…thank you." Sam said cautiously. "You didn't answer my question, though."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't, did I?" The woman laughed a little. "Why, I'm dressed up for the upcoming party."

"Party?" Sam queried, eyebrows raised at this news.

The woman nodded. "It will be in the hotel ballroom. It's by invitation only, though."

"Oh…" Sam considered what the woman said. "…Who else will be there?"

"Everyone, I would think."

'_Okay, not too specific, but it's still good enough.' _ "Alright then…look, I'm just going to stop beating around the bush here. My friend Danny and his parents are searching for ghosts around here. Whether you don't think you're one or not, you, along with some of these other ghosts need to be caught, so that my friend's parents can get paid. So…see that over there?" She pointed her thumb at the Fenton Weasel. "You need to be in that thing. Now. I don't want to get harsh, but it's been three days almost, and you're not making it any easier for my friend and his family."

The woman looked at her for a second…her lips then formed into a sly smile. "You must really like this 'friend' of yours."

Sam was taken aback. "Wha-what?"

"You're going through all this trouble just to help him out, are you not?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"So, you must like him, am I right?"

"W-wait a second, don't change the subject on me! Look, really, you need to-"

"Does he like you back?"

"What?"

"I said; does he like you back?" The woman said with a smile.

"I-I don't know…" _'Okay, this lady is starting to creep me out.'_

"Aw, that's not a good enough answer." The woman said with a grin, showing off her yellow…wait…

Sam's eyes widen in horror.

The woman's teeth were now a yellowish, rotting color, and her face cheeks looked like they were decaying as bits of flesh were peeled off. Her entire skin tone was pale as well, and her eyes were glassy looking.

Sam backed away and turned around, dashing for the Fenton Weasel. She kneeled down quickly, turned it on, and pointed the nozzle at the ghost…

…She was gone.

She frantically looked around, her heart beating fast, and breathing hard.

She disappeared.

"H-hello?" said a nervous Sam.

No answer.

She shook her head, and grabbed it with one hand as she controlled her breathing. _'What in the world just _happened_?' _Did the ghost not know that her features changed?

She took one last deep breath to calm herself down. She took one more moment to see if she was, in fact, alone, and turned off the Fenton Weasel.

Seeing that she is, she muttered irritably, "Man…_that_, could have gone better."

She freaked out(which she hated doing at times), didn't have any leads, and the most disappointing part of all, was that she didn't catch the ghost. She didn't even know what day or time this supposed ghost party was going to happen. All she knew was that this ghost she talked to can turn into rotting corpse. She hopes not every ghost can do that.

Sam frowned. The ghost woman didn't look too much like a threat. She obviously didn't sound like it. Sam could guess the woman _was_ just trying to be friendly…

Still, she _did _creeped her out a little…even though it wasn't intentional. _'Good thing I emptied my bladder.' _Sam sighed. "No time to wallow in self-pity. Danny's depending on you."

She equipped her ghost apparatuses and warily exited out of the bathroom.

* * *

**-oOo-**

**9:32 PM**

**-oOo-**

**(Jazz)**

Jazz was bored out of her mind. But she kept reminding herself that she was doing this for her little brother and her parents.

She, of course, investigated the main floor first, then the second floor, and now was back to the first floor again. Her location was at the back of the hallways in the east wing, and although Jazz was glad for the change of pace, she was still exhausted from walking around the hotel. Every hall looks exactly the same, save for the additional paintings that adorned the halls and the small tables with lamps on them that occupy at the end of one.

'_I don't know how Danny, Sam, and Tucker can do this…I need to sit down.' _

And she decided to do just that. She slid down on the floor and leaned against the wall, giving out a sigh…

She wondered how they'll lure these ghosts out of their hiding places. That one time in the reading room was just a stroke of luck. It's also the only time that she had run into any ghostly activity in the hotel, and she hadn't encountered any of it since. It just seemed illogical that these ghosts didn't want to make any more appearances after that. It really was starting to grind her gears.

She never really cared that much for her parent's ghost hunting job, but this dilemma her Mom and Dad are in of not catching any ghosts so far, actually made her a little worried. Don't get her wrong, they've been having a good time so far; going to another state, being in the Rockies, and staying in a nice hotel…but it loses its fun after a while if her parents haven't caught anything yet. Even her brother Danny hasn't had any luck, and he's half ghost! It really is starting to baffle her…

She laid the back of her head against the wall as she closed her eyes for a little bit, trying to think on how to get these ghosts to start coming out…

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

…_Let's play, Jazz…_

Jazz eyes abruptly opened and sat straight up.

"Hello?"

Silence.

"…Is anyone there?" Jazz said hesitantly.

…_Let's play…_

Her breath was caught in her throat. She _had_ heard it correctly. "Hello?" She quickly began to stand up and look around for the source of the voice.

…_Let's play…_

Jazz got a move on, not wanting to miss her opportunity to catch a ghost. She didn't know where it was coming from, so she blindly rushed to her right to find it, and ran around a couple of corners in the hallways, trying to locate the voice. While she was trying to find it, every now and then, it will say the same thing.

…_Let's play, Jazz…_

How this voice knows her name, she doesn't know yet, but right now, she has to find out where it belongs to. "Where are you?" Jazz said out to the voice, hoping to get an answer as she stopped sprinting down the halls for a moment.

…There was more silence…

Feeling anxious and frustrated at the same time, Jazz backtracked to a hall that she went through. As she rounded a corner…

…she saw them.

Jazz's eyes widened with her mouth slightly agape.

…What she saw, a little ways up at the end of a hall, were twin little girls, standing next to each other…

The girls were both brunettes, probably around the age of seven, and were wearing frilly light blue dresses, complete with knee high socks and shiny black ballet shoes. From the distance Jazz was in, she could see that both of them were holding hands next to each other. Their eyes were fixated straight ahead when she came into view…

Jazz stared at them for a while, in shock.

'_I…I found some ghosts!' _she thought, half-excited and making sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. They didn't look like the ghosts she and her brother encounter in Amity Park. In fact…they look almost _too _human…

The girls were now staring at her…

'…_Should…should I do something?' _she thought curiously. Thinking that she should, she, without tearing eye contact away from them, hurriedly reached for the nozzle of the Fenton Weasel and pointed at them, getting ready for anything.

The girls stood still and rigid…almost standing in perfect posture.

Jazz gingerly walked up to them, her steps a slow, steady pace, until she was at a comfortable distance from them.

The twins still stared at her.

She decided to say something… "Um…h-hello…"

They don't say anything…

"Uh…w-what are your names?"

…They still didn't say anything…

Jazz was getting a little nervous from their lack of communication. She was about to say something else, until…

"Hello, Jazz." The girls finally said simultaneously with a quiet, but audible tone.

Jazz's eyebrows shot up as she blinked. "W-what…?"

"Would you please play with us?" they said, both of them unmoving from their positions.

Jazz stood there, feet unnaturally still. "U-uh…"

"Come and play with us, Jazz."

She just stared at the twins. Anxiety was building up inside her…the way they spoke and the way were standing just got her on edge.

"Come and play with us."

"…I…um…I…" Jazz managed to say.

Then it happened.

Jazz made a silent gasp, eyes widened in fear.

The image of the girls instantly changed to a gruesome sight.

It was now a scene of a bloodbath.

The twin girls were laid sprawled on the floor, both of them bloodied and dead. One of them was on her stomach at the very end of the hall, whilst the other one was in front, lying on her back. They were soaked with blood as the twins look like they've been butcher to death, their blood nearly splattered all over the walls and soaking the carpet floor. Another thing that was disturbing was the choice of weapon lying on the floor; a hatchet, which was coated with fresh blood.

"W-w-what-" Jazz stuttered, frightened at the image that was shown to her.

Then the image suddenly changed back to the twins, who were standing in the same place.

"Come and play with us, Jazz."

The image then flicked back to the gruesome massacre.

"I-uh…w-wha…" Jazz stammered.

'_W…what's going on?' _Jazz thought fearfully.

"Come and play with us…"

It switched back to the twins…

"…forever…"

…then the bloody murder.

"…and ever…"

The twins…

"…and ever…"

…and the bloodbath…

"…and _ever_."

Jazz was breathing hard now, sick to her stomach, her face contorted in fear. She thought about running, but her legs won't move. Dropping the nozzle of her Fenton Weasel, she quickly covered her eyes with her hands, and whispered an old chant that she repeated when she was little and when ghosts were involved.

"There's no such thing as ghosts. There's no such thing as ghosts. There's no such thing as ghosts. There's no such thing as ghosts. There's no such thing as ghosts. …There's no…such thing…as _ghosts_."

She looked with one eye between her fingers…

. . . . . . .

…They were gone.

Hands shaking, she lowered her hands down and tried to regain her composure. She steadied her breathing…

'_What…what _was_ that_?_' _Jazz thought in horrified astonishment.

She stood there in the middle of the hallway…Jazz looked behind her.

No one was there as well.

Glancing in each direction, she decided to hightail it away from this area. She backtracked the way she came, picking up speed as she was going to the lobby. She did _not_ want to come across something like that again. As soon as she was at the hall where the entrance of the ballroom was, she saw Sam walking out of the ladies bathroom.

"Sam!" Jazz called out.

Startled, Sam turned to see an approaching Jazz as she came to her in a rushed pace. She also noticed the look on the redhead's face. "Hey…what happened?" she asked, with a little bit of concern in her tone.

As Jazz came to a stop in front of Sam, she said, "Sam, I saw some ghosts!"

Sam's eyes widen. "You did?"

"Yes! …I think…I don't know." Jazz said with uncertainty.

"You don't know?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, they were ghosts, I'm sure of it. And I was going to catch them, but…they did something…frightening."

"Whoa, hold on a second, Jazz." Sam raised her hands a bit to halt her. "Before you tell me, what kind of ghosts were they?"

"Okay…" Jazz said as she took a deep breath and let it out. "…They were twin little girls. I encountered them in one of the hallways at the back of the hotel."

"Okay, and what did they do?"

"They…they did something bizarre, yet…horrifying…"

"Horrifying how?" Sam queried.

"I…they…" Jazz was trying to explain it the best way that she can. "It…was like a picture show…they were two little girls at first…then at the next…"

Sam waited patiently for her to continue.

"…They were…dead."

Sam blinked in surprise. "They were _dead_?"

"Well, with them being ghosts, of course they would be dead, but…it's like…they showed me _how_ they died…"

"Showed you?" Sam said, trying to grasp this.

"Yeah…I don't know what it could mean, or what they were trying to tell me, but…" Jazz shivered at the thought of it. "Look, I'm sorry. I just can't get too much into it."

"Wow…it must have been really that bad." Sam said, feeling a little sympathy for Jazz. "From the way you describe your encounter with these ghosts, the one that I saw wasn't as nearly as bad as yours."

Jazz blinked. "Wait, you encountered a ghost as well?"

"Yeah. In there." Sam motioned her head to the ladies bathroom. "You think _that_ would have been the worst place to find a ghost, but from what you said, yours sounds _way_ worse."

"…In the bathroom?" Jazz questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Sam gave her a dull stare and said in monotonous tone. "Yes, in the bathroom."

"…Okay…what kind of ghost did you encounter?"Jazz asked.

"Well…it was a woman first of all. She said she was going to some party, and…" she shook her head. She didn't want to mention that awkward moment with the ghost woman talking about her crush on Danny. "…and I confronted her, telling her that she should be caught along with these other ghosts at this party. That was when her features changed from a ghost, to more like…" Sam was trying to mull on how to describe it. "…like a zombie, almost."

Jazz blanched at the image. "A zombie?"

"Yeah…" Sam glanced down at the floor and pondered for a bit. She then looked back up at Jazz. "Did they try to harm you in any way?"

Jazz shook her head. "No, they actually didn't. They did scare me a bit, but after that, they just disappeared."

"Hmm…it was kind of the same thing with me. The ghost I bump into acted friendly and didn't harm me whatsoever as well. When her features started to change and I rushed to my Fenton Weasel, that's when she disappeared."

"…Do you think we should tell Danny about this now or later?" asked Jazz, wondering about it.

Sam thought about it for a moment. "…We should probably tell him later until our time is up." She gazed at Jazz. "Jazz, do you feel like searching for ghosts after what you've experienced?"

"Well…I could try. But maybe this time…I could hang out with you while we hunt for ghosts?" Jazz said sheepishly.

Sam looked at her weirdly. "Uh…really?"

"Look, I really don't want to experience something like that again. Besides, don't tell me you weren't scared as well?" Jazz said as she raised an eyebrow at her.

"Scared? Pfft!" Sam scoffed. "Please, I do this with Danny and Tucker a lot. I pretty much had seen it all."

Jazz didn't look too convinced. "You know, it's okay to admit you were scared. I admitted it, so it doesn't make you less brave to admit it."

Sam frowned. "I wasn't scared."

"Come on Sam, don't tell me you haven't been scared once in awhile while fighting ghosts with Danny?" Jazz said with arms crossed and with a smirk.

Sam glowered at her. "Are you gonna help search ghosts with me or not?"

Jazz blinked. "Really?"

Sam sighed grouchily. "Yeah, I guess."

Jazz smiled at her. "Wow, Sam. Thanks."

"Hey, you're new to this, so I guess I might as well teach you some of the ropes."

Jazz giggled. "I guess I am kind of rubbing off on you after all!"

"Don't push it." Sam narrowed her eyes at her.

* * *

**-oOo-**

**10:45 PM**

**-oOo-**

**(Tucker)**

Tucker lazily lay on the couch, watching a 'Modern Marvels' marathon in his and Danny's room.

'_Wow. Who knew that they could center an episode about toothpaste and make it interesting?' _

As he watched the show, he turned his attention at the Fenton Weasel for what seemed like the ninth time.

He had considered on helping Danny and the girls, but he came here to relax, darn it! Really, Danny needed to unwind some. …Although, he could have helped them out for Danny's parents sake.

Tucker shook his head. _'Oh no! You've had this conversation with yourself before! You're here to relax! If they want to go out and ghost hunt, then you're not stopping them! Let them do what they have to do, and leave me out of it!'_

Nodding at his conclusion(until he thought about it again), Tucker kept watching the TV…

. . . . . . .

…He had to admit, it's kind of eerie sitting in a room all by himself in a haunted hotel.

'_Keep watching the show!' _exclaimed Tucker angrily.

But it wouldn't be necessary…because the TV had turned itself off.

He blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

Tucker picked up the remote and tried to turn it on. When that didn't work, he got up from the couch and went to the TV to turn it back on. It still didn't come on.

"What the…"

That was when he heard it.

…The sound of a shower running…

Tucker froze on the spot.

He turned to the only room that could be the cause of the sound.

The bathroom door was also opened ajar.

The light was on…

"…What in the-"

The shower kept running…

…Forgetting about the TV, he slowly and cautiously approached the bathroom door.

As he reached it, he ever so carefully pushed the door open…

He entered the bathroom.

As he entered, he noticed that the shower was indeed, in fact, turned on.

But that wasn't the strange part.

The strange part is…was that the shower curtains are closed…

…And someone was occupying it…

…It was a _woman_…

…A _curvaceous _woman…

Tucker gazed at the shower, in shock.

The figure's feminine silhouette was seen in the shower curtains, as she was rinsing and washing herself. She looked like she was done as she turned off the shower.

She stood there, still as she can be…

Her silhouette turned to Tucker's direction.

Tucker's eyes widened.

. . . . . . .

…They stood there for about awhile…

…That was until the woman slowly but surely, pushed the curtains away.

Tucker's eyes went wide as they could be.

In all her nude glory, the woman revealed herself to him. The blonde haired woman was soaked, making her tantalizing as she gazed at him with a seductive look. She stepped out of the tub, delicately, as she kept staring at him.

Tucker, who didn't move at any time, decided that he should do something.

…And he did.

He gradually walked to the woman, his eyes in a trance, as he was dopey smile on his face. The woman herself took slow steps as she walked over to Tucker. As soon as they were in comfortable distance with each other, they stopped.

Tucker still stared at her, mesmerized.

The woman stared at him, giving him a sexy little smirk.

The naked woman then raised her hand to touch his cheek.

Tucker shivered at the touch.

The woman looked at him still, the look in her eyes showing something that Tucker was feeling himself…

…Lust.

The woman then leaned close, her face inching in close to his…

…She planted her lips on his.

Tucker, who felt like he was in heaven, closed his eyes and kissed her back.

The woman, with her hand, slipped off his beret, as she ran her hand through his head.

Tucker relished the taste of the woman's lips.

The woman kept kissing him, grasping onto his head as she furthered more into the kiss, letting her tongue enter his mouth.

Tucker moaned, enjoying the taste.

All rational thought seemed to fade away for Tucker, as he and the woman's tongues began to explore each other's mouths…

Then…the feeling of the kiss disappeared.

Tucker opened his eyes, only to see that the woman had vanished.

He stood there for awhile, with a dazed look on his face, the feeling of ecstasy slowly going away in his senses, but still had a dreamy smile on his face.

He was left alone in the bathroom…

* * *

**-oOo-**

**11:03 PM**

**-oOo-**

"Whoa…" said an astonished Danny.

"Yeah. That's what me and Jazz discovered." finished Sam.

Danny and the girls were back in the lobby to report any findings. Sam and Jazz told Danny about the encounters they had, which had interested him greatly, especially since Sam told him that the lady ghost was going to a party…which was hopefully the same party that he was invited too.

"Man, I'm sorry you girls had to experience that." Danny said as he looked at each of the girls with a sad frown.

"Ah, I kind of knew what I was getting myself into. Don't worry about it." reassured Sam.

"Ditto." said Jazz. "So, did you found any ghosts as well Danny?"

"Um…I found one, but…as I turned on the Fenton Weasel, the ghost got away." Danny explained lamely. _'Well, that's kind of true…'_

"It did? How? You can change into Danny Phantom, you know." Sam said with a disbelieving brow.

"Hey, it disappeared on me when I tried to catch up." _'Also kind of true.'_

Sam still stared at Danny, unsure if she should believe him or not. She took the former, as she thought that he wouldn't lie about something like that, so she shrugged and said, "Alright."

"Still though, what you two have said sounded…disturbing." Danny

"Tell me about it." Jazz muttered.

"Well, this has been successful." Sam said sarcastically. "We haven't caught any ghosts, which makes this search a complete failure."

"Ugh!" Danny growled, grabbing a handful of his hair. "This can't be right! Why are these ghosts messing with us!?"

"Danny, it's okay. Calm down." Jazz reassured him with a sad frown. "Maybe we just need more time for them to come out. We can probably still keep looking if you-"

"Jazz, we have been giving them time! It's been going on three days now, and we still haven't caught any ghosts at all! What's worse, is that these ghosts are trying to pull scare tactics on you and Sam! It's just…I don't _understand_!" Danny said, angry of it all.

Sam and Jazz both had worried looks on their face. "Danny…" Sam spoke out, trying to think of something to cheer him up.

The boy in question sighed miserably, hand on his face. "…I'm sorry, I'm just really tired. I'm going to bed." He turned to walk up the stairs.

"Danny, a-are you sure? We can still look for more ghosts if you want." Jazz said in a desperate attempt to make her brother feel better. "You were right about them coming out at night! Maybe we can tell Mom and Dad about that tomorrow!"

Danny stopped on the sixth step. "…Yeah. Maybe we can." He said with a smile at that realization. He turned to the girls. "But really, I don't want to torture you gals any longer with this hunt. Let's just go to bed, alright?"

"Well…okay Danny." said Jazz, a little hesitant on stopping so soon without any leads.

Danny smiled and was about to go up again, when Sam said, "Are you sure, Danny?"

He chuckled and reassured them, "Don't worry, I'm sure. Come on, let's go get some sleep." With that, he went up the stairs.

Sam and Jazz glanced at each other. Sam just shrugged, and went up the stairs along with Jazz behind her.

"I tell you one thing; these ghosts bring out their ugly side at night." Sam stated.

Jazz shivered. "Definitely."

* * *

"Night girls." Danny.

"Night Danny." Sam.

"Goodnight Danny." Jazz.

They all went to their rooms.

Danny closed the door. "Hey Tuck, I'm ba-"

Tucker wasn't on the couch. Danny blinked.

"Tuck?"

He checked the bedroom to see if he went to bed. He wasn't in his bed, so he can only be in one other room…

Danny turned his attention to the bathroom…the door was closed. He went across the room, taking note that the Fenton Weasel was still on the floor.

"Tucker?" He knocked on the door. "Tucker, are you in there?"

No answer…

"Tucker?" Danny said, knocking on the door again, getting a little worried. From the ghost voice he heard earlier, he didn't know if he should be a little anxious that Tucker's not answering.

…Still no answer…

"Tucker!?" he called out alarmed, knocking harder.

Then the door opened, startling Danny.

"Dude, chill. I'm right here." Tucker said with his beret on his head.

"Tucker! Why didn't you answer?" Danny scolded him.

"Whoa, hey, I'm sorry man, I didn't mean to scare ya. I was just finishing up in the bathroom."

"Oh…" Danny scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Um…sorry about that. You just…uh…didn't answer me." he finished lamely. He guessed he overreacted a little bit.

"I was about to come out." stated Tucker. He changed topics. "So, did you guys have any luck?"

"Well, we saw some ghosts, but failed to catch them, so…no."

"Really? Aw man, bro…that sucks." sympathized Tucker.

"Yeah. Well, at least we know they come out at night."

"Hm. What kind of ghosts were they?" They walked to the bedroom to get their bed clothes.

"Oh just…you know, ordinary ghosts." Danny explained. He wasn't going to tell him about the undead ghost lady and the dead twin girls that the girls encountered.

"And they got past _you_? Jazz and Sam I can understand since they aren't the ones with ghost powers, but you?" Tucker got his pajamas out.

"Hey, I turned ghost when I had the chance." Danny defended himself as he got his pajamas out. _'Even though I can't understand why I've been so dizzy lately.' _"Do you mind if I use the bathroom first? You know, just brushing my teeth and changing into my clothes?"

"Actually, I already brushed my teeth. You can do whatever you want in there."

"Oh, alright then."

Danny then went to the bathroom and started to brush his teeth. While he was doing that, he remembered the card in his pocket. Fishing it out, he looked at it again, memorizing the date and the time.

He observed it some more…

He sighed, putting it on the sink as he changed into his pajamas. After he was dressed, he picked the card up and started to exit out of the bathroom…

Looking over his shoulder, he gazed around every corner of the room…

. . . . . . .

Danny then walked out of the bathroom.

Seeing that Tucker was dressed and lying on his bed asleep, Danny quietly walked to his own chest of drawers beside his bed. He opened one of the drawers, put his invitation card in it, and softly closed it.

'_Well, tomorrow's another day, I guess. That and play the waiting game.'_ thought Danny.

He turned off the lights and head to bed.

. . . . . . .

...The bathroom was left alone...

* * *

**There it is! :D I finally got this chapter done! Hooray! Well, that concludes Day Three! I hope you're all enjoying it so far! And please, leave me a review and tell me how I did! I tried REALLY hard on this one, and I would like to know if I did okay. :P**

**I need to give you guys a heads up though, my laptop has a loose hinge, and I MIGHT need a new one. But it still works, don't worry! I just can't close it now, in fear of snapping off. D: **

**Thank you all for reading this far! Again, I really would love to hear a review from you. For realz, yo! XD**

**See you all later! :)**

**-TSP**


End file.
